New Use Agriculture and Natural Plant Products (NUANPP) at Rutgers SEBS: Members

NUANPP Members

Program Directors :: Senior Lab Members :: Graduate Student Lab Members

Program Directors
Dr. James Simon	Dr. Qing Li Wu

Director of NUANPP Google Scholar Account Dr. Simon's area of expertise is in the development of new uses of traditional crops, new crop development, aromatic and medicinal plant domestication, with a specialization in natural products such as those containing extractable chemicals in interest for flavor, aroma, and medicinal activity. Simon published over 100 scientific papers, books, and reviews in the areas of new crops, aromatic and medicinal plants and nutraceuticals. Dr. Simon leads the Rutgers University program on New Use Agriculture and Natural Plant Products Program, and works cooperatively with research groups around the world and in New Jersey seeking to develop standardized botanical products for health and nutrition. Research projects focus on culinary herbs (selection and breeding), Asian and African botanicals and medicinal plants, the nutraceutical components in fruits and vegetables and quality control for herbs and botanical products. Simon's research is supported by NIH, USDA, USAID, and BARD as well as other public and private funding.	Assistant Research Professor in NUANPP Dr. Wu's area of expertise is in plant medicine, with a specialization in natural product chemistry including bioactive compound isolation, structure detemination, analytical method development and validation (HPLC & LC/MS), and standardization and quality control of botanicals, and plant resources, field investigation and plant taxonomy as well. By now he has published more than thirty scientific papers in natural products chemistry and medicinal plant analysis. Regarding his extensive expertise in phytoestrogen analysis (a kind of soy polyphenols for hormone replacement therapy for women that alleviates postmenopausal symptoms), he was invited as a senior author by Journal Chromtgraphy B to contribute an annual review article on analytical assays. His recent research interests have also included botanical polyphenols for age-related diseases and Traditional Chinese Medicine for treatment/prevention of obesity.
Dr. H. Rodolfo Juliani	Dr. Ramu Govindasamy

Assistant Research Professor The research of Dr. Juliani supports the science-based component of our national, international development programs, NUANPP, PFIDNP and ASNAPP. His research identifies new applications and uses of both traditional and exotic products, to ultimately assist growers/ collectors, rural communities and the private sector to increase interest in their products. Research interests include chemical diversity of essential oils, biological activity of aromatic and medicinal plant components/ extracts, biotechnology of native aromatic plants, regulaion of essential oil accumulation in aromatic plants, analytical techniques and extraction methods for essenctial oils, quality assurance and quality control of natural plant products, and international development through sustainable production of natural products.	Associate Director Professor Ramu Govindasamy, a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics leads the work in value chain analysis, as well as in consumer, grower and market trends. With expertise in crop budgeting, market analysis and consumer/market survey, Dr. Govindasamy focuses on grower and production profitability and risk management.

Senior Lab Members
Dr. Adolfina Koroch	Dr. Chung Park

Visiting Researcher Dr. Adolfina Koroch has been working in and associated with the Rutgers NUANPP since 2001. While currently an Assistant Professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY, she has remained a visiting scientist at NUANPP. Dr. Koroch leads the tissue culture research in our laboratory and brings in considerable expertise in botany, plant physiology and plant biology. As a consortium member of the USDA/SCRI funded basil initiative, Adolfina also leads the BMCC work on this project where she is collaborating on searching for the genes associated with disease resistance in basil downy mildew in concert with Rutgers.	Researcher Chung works for the New Use Agriculture and Natural Plant Products Program at Rutgers. He investigates new aromatic plants and herbs opportunities for new applications like bioactivity, nutrition, and medicinal properties. Chung's research focuses on plant genetics, genetic diversity, plant breeding and characterization for sustainable growth when introduced and is currently running trials for new crops such as Artemisia, Oregano, Catnip, Basil and Ethnic Green Herbs.

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Graduate Student Lab Members
Thomas Villani	Kelsey Gustafson

Graduate Student Projects Coordinator Tom is a Ph.D student for the Department of Medicinal Chemistry. He is a natural products chemist with a specialization in analytical methodology, structural elucidation, isolation, and chemical profiling. His current research involves investigation into the chemical composition of algal species cultured at NJAIC for natural products of interest to human health. He is also involved in studying quality control of dietary supplements, particularly with grape derived products.	Graduate Student, M.S. in Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory Coordinator Kelsey is a natural products chemist with a focus on analytical methodology, isolation, and structural elucidation. She joined the Food Science Ph.D. program to do nutraceutical research and to study aroma and flavor chemistry. Some of her current work involves volatile analysis of Commiphora spp., and bioguided fractionation and chemical profiling of Sorghum bicolor leaf with antisickling activity. She also does the authentication and quality control of botanicals for the lab, primarily by LC/MS.
Derek Hawkins	William Reichart

Graduate Student Derek is a PhD student in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry. His work focuses on Kombo Butter. The goal of the project is to evaluate the bio- availability of the components responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity in Kombo Butter.	Graduate Student After completing his undergraduate degree at Rutgers University, William was accepted into graduate school at Rutgers for his masters in plant biology. Starting his research in the New Use Agriculture in Natural Plant Products (NUANPP) his focus is on improving the essential oil yield and nepetalactone concentration in Nepeta cataria. Due to the increase in demand for nepetalactone as an insect repellent, information on how the plant's physiological processes produce this chemical is needed.
Daniel Giurleo	David Byrnes

Graduate Student Daniel is a medicinal chemistry graduate student and is researching the phytochemistry and medicinal properties of Griffonia simplicifolia and genus Capsicum. Daniel's research interests include synthetic chemistry and structural elucidation of natural products. Prior to joining NUANPP, Daniel worked as a synthetic chemist in another research group.	Graduate Student David is a first-year Plant Biology graduate student studying African indigenous vegetables, in particular vegetative Amaranth, a popular, spinach -like African leafy green which thrives during the heat of our summer when spinach cannot be grown. Studies have shown vegetative Amaranth to be rich in vitamins and antioxidants, yet a variety fit for American popularity and consumption has yet to be identified.
Robert Pyne	Claudia Mariana Asensio

Graduate Student Robert is interested in identifying the genes involved in the plant response to these abiotic and biotic stresses, as well as their mechanisms of inheritance and action. These objectives are being accomplished through classical breeding methods coupled with the development of molecular markers for linkage mapping and improved selective ability. The ultimate goal of my research is to provide a stable source of genetic resistance and physiological tolerance in order to develop a superior sweet basil. This research is funded by the USDA Special Crops Research Initiative(SCRI).	Visiting Researcher Claudia is a Fulbright visiting scholar from Argentina. She graduated in 2009 from National University of Cordoba, Argentina and received an Agricultural Engineering degree. She started her PhD in 2010. The objectives of her thesis is to study the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of four different oregano varieties grown in the experimental station of the Agronomy College in Argentina and incorporate these essential oils into high lipid and humid food (as olive oil and cheese) and evaluate their consumers' acceptance.
Jing Zhen	J. Lepolu Torlon

Graduate Student Jing received his Bachelors degree of Pharmacy from China Pharmaceutical University in 2011. He came to Rutgers University as a graduate student to study medicinal chemistry at school of pharmacy. He has some experience in drug synthesis and the surface plasmon assay development. Currently he is involved with research in Dr.Simon's lab to search for plants of medicinal and nutritional values grown in Africa. Recently, his focus has been on the identification and quantitation of valuable chemicals contained in different parts of plants such as Hibiscus, Moringa, Acanthosicyos, Ximenia. Instruments like LC/UV/MS and NMR are frequently in his research.	Graduate Student Lepolu (Jonathan) Torlon is part of the Excellence in Higher Liberian Education Development (EHELD), a USAID supported program, which seeks to develop a Center of Excellence in Agriculture at Cuttington University, College of Agriculture and Sustainable Development (CASD), Liberia, West Africa. Lepolu was selected by Cuttington University, Rutgers and NCSU to come to Rutgers and pursue graduate studies in soil sciences. Graduated in 2008 with bachelor degree in general Agriculture from Cuttington University in Liberia, he has worked as an extension agent as well as a staff in several administrative positions at Cuttington before joining the College of Agriculture and Integrated Development Studies (now the CASD) as a Research Assistance. Torlon’s studies focus on Soil Fertility with emphasis on plants nutrient management. Currently, he is investigating a greenhouse trial on the impact of silicon uptake by pumpkin as a beneficent substance in Soil fertility against infection of powdery mildew disease. His studies will focus on soils management, organic amendments and plant nutrient uptake. Upon graduation, he will be returning to CASD as a faculty member part of the new Center of Excellence that is being established.
Larry C. Hwang	Lauren Seabrooks

Graduate Student Larry Hwang is part of the Excellence in Higher Liberian Education Development (EHELD), a USAID supported program, which seeks to develop a Center of Excellence in Agriculture at Cuttington University, College of Agriculture and Sustainable Development (CASD), Liberia, West Africa. Larry was selected by Cuttington University, Rutgers and NCSU to come to Rutgers and pursue graduate studies in Natural Resource Management, with a focus on developing indigenous medicinals and Non-Timber Forest Product from the Guinean Rainforest in Liberia using environmental sustainable harvesting models. Larry’s interest is in biological diversity, conservation, and sustainable use. He is interested in NTFPs found in the Liberian rainforest, especially those species that have medicinal, health and nutritional benefits and applications in sub regional and international trade so that economic benefits for local communities can be generated. If NTFP can reduce and/or substitute for timber logging, and other current practices threatening the rainforest these species can serve as part of a larger mitigation plan against deforestation and the conservation and the sustainable use of the biological diversity of the Liberian rainforest. Upon graduation, he will be returning to CASD as a faculty member part of the new Center of Excellence that is being established. .	Graduate Student Lauren works full time as a scientist at Merck developing analytical test methods on respiratory inhalation products and as a part time PhD medicinal chemistry student, in Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Rutgers School of Pharmacy. Miss Seabrooks primary focus is on synthesizing derivatives of Kombo butter extract and in vitro investigation of the toxicity and bioactivity of promising lead compounds.
Cliff Kitto	Grant McCarter

New Programs Coordinator Cliff has been working in the NUANPP since September, 2012. Mr. Kitto specializes in the developing and coordinating programs focusing on international and agricultural development as well as issues relating to safety and security. Cliff is also coordinating the logistics and events for the 45th Liberian Studies Association that will be held April 04-7, 2013 at Rutgers.	B.S. Interactive Media Web and Systems Developer Grant is a graduate currently employed as the laboratory's web developer, programmer, and auxiliary staff member. His efforts have led to the development of a LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) and this website, as well as working in conjunction with Dr. Simon, Dr, Koroch, and Thomas Villani for product development and internet marketing for Visikol™. He is also a freelance web developer specializing in academic web design and professional online product development. If there are any problems seen on the site, please contact him to resolve any issues.