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MEET OUR SCIENTISTS
MAY M CHEUNG, PH.D.
Principal Investigator
Dr. May Cheung is an assistant professor at Brooklyn College in the Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences. She received her Ph.D. from Drexel University in Nutrition Sciences. Upon receiving her degree in Nutrition Sciences, she joined the Monell Chemical Senses Center as an NIH T32 Research Fellow to study Sensory Nutrition, which is the study of how taste and smell interact with diet and nutritional health. She also has a Sensory and Consumer Science professional certificate from the University of California, Davis.
She is the mom of many plants and her dog Kiwi. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and playing petanque.
Check out her research and scholarly work here.
Janel Clovis, B.S.
Laboratory Coordinator
Janel is a non-traditional student at Brooklyn college. She is exploring secondary degree programs in a clinical healthcare setting. She received her B.S. in Health Science from Stony Brook University. She is interested in healthcare disparities in minority populations. In her spare time, Janel enjoys spending time with loved ones, traveling, and exploring new adventures.
Faye Guarneri, B.S.
Graduate Research Assistant
Faye Guarneri received their BS in Health and Nutrition Sciences at Brooklyn College and continued on to pursue their MS in Nutrition with the goal of becoming a Registered Dietitian. Faye is currently working on their Master's thesis, alongside Dr. May Cheung in the Sensory Nutrition Lab at Brooklyn College.
They are passionate about food and how it influences health with a special interest in research on using diet to aid with the treatment of autoimmune diseases. They love discovering new places and trying all manner of foods. Besides their passion for all things food-related, they enjoy video gaming, cosplay, and writing in their spare time.
Liz Cortes
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Liz is an undergraduate student majoring in biology at Brooklyn College. She is a part of the NIH-funded MARC (T34) program. She is currently contributing to research on preference and liking at the Sensory Nutrition Lab. Her academic focus in nutrition centers on unraveling the complex interplay between human genetics, sensory systems, and food preferences. Additionally, Liz is expanding her research skill set by learning to utilize R Studio for statistical data analysis.
Outside the academic realm, she enjoys cycling and is an avid salsa dancer.
Caren Ghali
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Caren is an undergraduate student at the Macaulay Honors College at Brooklyn college. Currently, she is double majoring in Health and Nutrition Sciences and Classics with a minor in biology. Caren is interested in learning more about the intricate connection between one’s culture and diet and how diet consequently influences one’s lifestyle.
In her free time, she enjoys reading about ancient cultures, baking, and collecting vintage cassette tapes.
Chana Lipschutz
Undergraduate Student Intern
Chana (Hana) is an undergraduate student majoring in Health Sciences (on the Community Health Education track) at Brooklyn College. Her insatiable sweet tooth has fueled her interest in sensory nutrition research. Chana is eager to explore how the intersection between our senses and dietary habits affects both individual and population health. Chana’s favorite book and/or podcast genre is historical non fiction and she appreciates a whiff of anything vanilla scented
FORMER
MEMBERS
Lauren Zami, B.S.
Former Laboratory Coordinator
Lauren Zami is a graduate of the Macaulay Honors College at Brooklyn College. There, she received her BS in Health and Nutrition Sciences. She is currently pursuing her MS in Nutrition at Brooklyn College and is on the path to becoming a Registered Dietitian. Lauren is passionate about how our food choices affect our health and loves to learn new things. When she's not busy studying, Lauren enjoys baking, playing piano, and crocheting.
Melanie Safi, B.S.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Melanie completed her senior thesis on Social Media, Eating Behavior, and Food Choice in the Sensory Nutrition Lab in 2023.
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