September 2026

UC Davis Postdoctoral Researcher Receives NIH F32 Fellowship to Study How Milk Components May Influence Cognition Through the Gut Microbiome

UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology postdoctoral researcher Dr. Kasey Schalich has been awarded an NIH F32 fellowship to investigate how a bioactive component of milk may influence cognitive development through the gut microbiome-brain axis. The project, “A bioactive milk component promotes cognition through the gut microbiome-brain axis,” will examine how milk-derived glycoconjugates interact with beneficial gut bacteria and whether these interactions increase the availability of sialic acid, a molecule important for neurodevelopment.