Meet Carmel Even, a BAR-funded Graduate Student who is conducting her research at Dr. Lavanya Reddivari’s lab in the Food Science Department at Purdue University.
What is the main focus of your research?
“The broader goal of my PhD is to understand how nutrition can shape the gut microbiome in ways that may support health, particularly in the context of autism. Right now, I am focusing on how different dietary components, including prebiotics and plant polyphenols, behave together and interact with gut bacteria. At Purdue, in Dr. Lavanya Reddivari’s lab, I am gaining hands-on experience with in vitro models that simulate the gastrointestinal system, together with advanced analytical approaches for studying polyphenols and metabolites, including targeted and untargeted metabolomics. Together, these approaches allow me to look more closely at what happens to dietary components during digestion and how they interact with the gut microbiome.”
What got you interested in your area of research?
“My interest in the gut microbiome started during my undergraduate and master’s research, when I studied microbial metabolites, especially short-chain fatty acids, and their links with nutrition, sleep, and health. I was fortunate to work with Dr. Faiga Magzal and Prof. Snait Tamir throughout these early stages of my research, and their mentorship has been an important part of my development as a researcher. I learned a great deal from them, both about the field and about how to approach scientific questions. I became fascinated by the idea that gut bacteria can transform components of our diet into metabolites that may influence different aspects of our health. As both a dietitian and a researcher, I was especially drawn to the connection between what we eat, the gut microbiome, and human health.”
What are your plans after your fellowship?
“After the fellowship, I plan to bring the knowledge, methods, and hands-on experience I am gaining at Purdue back to my PhD research in Israel. I hope to apply these approaches to the next stages of my research and continue exploring microbiome-targeted nutritional strategies. I also hope this fellowship will be the beginning of a long-term collaboration with Dr. Reddivari’s group, including future joint projects and publications.”
What tip would you give someone beginning their Graduate Student Fellowship?
“Be curious. Come with a clear plan, but keep an open mind and try to become part of the host lab as much as possible. Join experiments led by other students, ask questions, and stay open to methods or ideas you did not originally plan to use, they may change the way you think about your own research. I would also recommend checking whether there are interesting conferences or scientific meetings taking place during your stay, since being in another country can give you access to opportunities you might not otherwise have. Most importantly, try to learn as much as you can from the scientific environment around you, not only from the experiments you originally came to do.”
