Professional Experience and Training

• Associate Professor (August 2021 – Present)
  Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
• Assistant Professor (August 2014 – July 2021)
  Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
• Postdoctoral Research Associate (2013 – 2014)
  Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
• Research/Teaching Assistant (2009 – 2012)
  Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Research Interests

The major research focus of Dr. Luo’s laboratory is to utilize nanotechnology-based techniques to develop biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-toxic nanoscale delivery systems for nutrients. In particular, Dr. Luo’s laboratory studies the physical and chemical interactions among food biomaterials at nanoscale to fabricate various delivery systems, including nanoparticles, nanocomplexes, nanoemulsions, and hydrogels. The research in Dr. Luo’s laboratory includes the following directions:

• Discover, extract, and purify naturally-occurring nanomaterials from food-derived sources, and characterize their nanostructures for future applications.
• Fabricate colloidal nanoparticles from food biomaterials and apply environmentally-friendly chemistry to engineer their surface property for development of targeting-delivery vehicles.
• Understand GI-stability and in vivo fate of nanoparticles to better elucidate their biological efficacy for improving bioavailability of bioactive compounds.