Affiliation: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Dr. Zhao is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She obtained her PhD in Food & Nutritional Sciences from The University of Hong Kong in 2016 before joining Rutgers University (NIH Botanical Center) for her postdoctoral training. Dr. Zhao’s research integrates the beauty of phytochemistry, microbiology and analytical chemistry. In search for sustainable and cost-effective remedies for obesity-associated metabolic disorders, Dr. Zhao’s team has identified a number of berries and medicinal herbs as sustainable sources of bioactive polyphenols. In addition, the team also explores the phytochemical-gut microbiota crosstalk, leveraging the metabolic power from functional gut bacteria to bio-transform the non-absorbable polyphenols into absorbable metabolites. In collaboration with industrial partners in the Great Bay Area, their work related to synbiotics, postbiotics and next-generation probiotics has laid a solid foundation for future R&D of functional foods and medicinal herbal products for human wellness. In addition, the application of precision nutrition strategies and microbiota-targeted therapies to improve the nutritional status and metabolic health in humans is of great research interest to her team.