Phone
(608) 890-0212Website
View WebsiteOffice Location
105 Babcock Hall
1605 Linden Dr
Madison, WI 53706

Brad is an Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science. He pursued a career in Food Science after taking an analytical chemistry course which sparked his interest in the field, and was given the opportunity to work as an undergraduate researcher in microbiology and later, chemistry and health. He earned BS and PhD degrees in Food Science at UW-Madison focusing on the cancer-preventing components of beans, before training at the Jean Meyer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. At Tufts, he continued to pursue his interest in polyphenol chemistry, metabolism, nutrition, and health. After beginning his faculty career at the University of Connecticut, he returned to UW-Madison in 2014 to lead a program in food and health research. His team is focused on improving the impact of food on human and environmental health, while increasing the sustainability and equity of the food system. Brad has broad interests in food, including nuts, fruits, vegetables, spices, fermented dairy products, and waste materials from food production. More recently, he is interested in developing underutilized foods in Wisconsin, such as aronia berry and hazelnut that can improve biodiversity and the ecological landscapes. He has contributed to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, including Advanced Food Biochemistry, The Chocolate Experience, Principles of Food Preservation, and Food Bioactives.
Outside of the office, you can find Brad spending time with family and friends, biking, hiking, birdwatching, gardening, cross-country skiing, cooking, playing ultimate frisbee, or trying to teach his dog Ranger new tricks. He enjoys traveling and is enthusiastic about learning about new cultures and foods. Importantly, he is the disputed pickleball champion of the lab.
- Peanut skin polyphenols inhibit proliferation of leukemia cells in vitro, and its A-type procyanidins selectively pass through a Caco-2 intestinal barrier
- Gut microbes modulate the effects of the flavonoid quercetin on atherosclerosis
- Upcycling commercial nut byproducts for food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications: A comprehensive review
- Low-fat yogurt consumption maintains biomarkers of immune function relative to nondairy control food in women with elevated BMI: A randomized controlled crossover trial
- <sup>1</sup>H-<sup>13</sup>C HSQC-NMR Analysis of Cranberry (Vaccinium Macrocarpon) Juice Defines the Chemical Composition of Juice Precipitate
- Anthocyanins and health: Are fruit and vegetable dietary recommendations outdated in the context of ultraprocessed foods?
- Dried Fruits, Nuts, and Cancer Risk and Survival: A Review of the Evidence and Future Research Directions
- Yogurt Supplementation Attenuates Insulin Resistance in Obese Mice by Reducing Metabolic Endotoxemia and Inflammation
- Gut microbiota and diet matrix modulate the effects of the flavonoid quercetin on atherosclerosis
- Valorisation of hazelnut by-products: current applications and future potential
SUSTAINABLE FOOD FOR HEALTH RESEARCH
A sustainable food system must be equitable – providing accessible, healthy, and delicious foods while minimizing waste and maximizing biodiversity of the landscape. Foods have many different types of unique molecules beyond vitamins and minerals that may improve health. These non-nutrient molecules are known as “dietary bioactives.” We are working to understand how dietary bioactives from underutilized fruit, vegetables, nuts, and dairy products improve immune function and reduce chronic disease risk. The profile and abundance of dietary bioactives depends on many factors, including the type of food, growing conditions, food processing, and storage. It is important to understand how dietary bioctives impact immune function and reduce disease risk so high-quality foods can be produced for improving health. Our group is working on improving chemical analysis of food bioactives and understanding the complexity of metabolism and bioavailability of these molecules in the context of improving health. We are using cell-based assays, rodent models of inflammation, and human intervention studies to understand how dietary bioactives can prevent chronic disease.