Burdock Group welcomes a new face to the office this month, November 2015, with the addition of Lu Zhao, Ph.D., as Associate Scientist. Dr. Zhao joins the Burdock Group scientific team with over seven years of experience in the food and nutritional space, including experience in diary processing, food microbiology, dietary supplements, anti-obesity, functional food, and fats and oils research. Dr. Zhao completed his master’s degree in food science from the China Agricultural University and earned his doctorate in nutritional science from the University of Florida (UF) (that makes a total of three UF Gators in the office!). Dr. Zhao is also fully fluent in Chinese.
Previously Dr. Zhao served as a biological scientific and laboratory manager at the UF Department of Animal Sciences, conducting independent studies on animal nutrition and rumen microbiology to increase nutrient absorption and feed efficiency in domestic animals. Dr. Zhao worked in the UF Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition to develop novel functional oils and vitamin E supplements to reduce obesity and diabetes. As a research assistant at the Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy at the China Agricultural University, Dr. Zhao assisted with the development of novel health-promoting yogurts made from horse milk. Dr. Zhao also has experience in quality control and assurance for pesticide residue testing, including EPA regulated good laboratory practice guidelines (GLP) and good documentation practice (GDP); he also has experience in the beverage manufacturing and packaging industry, including cGMP, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), HACCP, GDP, internal audits and final product quality control.
Dr. Zhao is a diligent and productive researcher, who has authored ten scientific, peer-reviewed publications in top academic journals in food science and nutrition. Dr. Zhao has experience presenting his research outcomes in several national and international conferences. Dr. Zhao is currently an active member of American Society of Nutrition (ASN), Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS).
Burdock Group is very pleased to introduce Dr. Zhao to our team as an Associate Scientist. You can reach out and welcome Dr. Zhao to the team at lzhao@burdockgroup.com.