Graduate Students

Zakk Makeiff

Project: MSc, 2026-Present

Research Focus: TBA

What I like to do outside of the Lab?: I enjoy listening to music, watching sports, and going to the gym.

Supervisor: Dr. Spencer proctor

Email: zmakeiff@ualberta.ca

Emily Reitsma

Project: MSc, 2025-Present

Research Focus: Gut microbiome health, particularly how nutrition and fermented foods can support improved health outcomes.

Supervisor: Dr. Caroline Richard

Email: ereitsma@ualberta.ca

Gabby Eaton

Project: MSc, 2025-Present

Research Focus: Investigating how fermented foods, specifically kefir, modulate immune response, the gut microbiome, and blood markers in patients with obesity.

Supervisor: Dr. Caroline Richard & Dr. Ben Willing (co-supervisor)

What I like to do outside of the lab?: You’ll find me running with my dog, making jewelry, bugging my loved ones or exploring other creative endeavors!!

Email: gleaton@ualberta.ca

Yasaman Mojibi Eslami

Project: MSc 2024-Present

Research Focus: A preliminary human study on bioavailability and efficacy of bioactive peptide IRW in egg white hydrolysate.

Supervisor: Dr. Caroline Richard and Dr. Jianping Wu

What I like to do outside of the lab?: I enjoy doing yoga, walking in nature and reading books!

Email: ymojibie@ualberta.ca

Reihane (Niusha) Taheri

Project: PhD, 2022-Present

Research Focus: My research focuses on nutritional intervention to reduce CVD risk in youth with obesity.

Supervisor: Dr. Spencer Proctor

What I like to do outside of the lab?: I enjoy being in nature, swimming, listening to music and playing board games.

Email: reihane@ualberta.ca

Nastaran Mojibi Eslami

Project: PhD, 2021-Present

Research Focus: To investigate the potential anti-diabetic effects of oat through in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Supervisor: Dr. Caroline Richard & Dr. Lingyun Chen

What I like to do outside of the lab?: I like getting out into nature, listening to some cool podcasts/audiobooks, and hanging out with friends.

Email: mojibies@ualberta.ca