Principle Investigator
Dr. Gulustan Ozturk
Assistant Professor, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences
Affiliate Faculty, Department of Biological Systems Engineering
Dairy Innovation Hub Faculty
Ph.D. in Food Science (emphasis on Biotechnology), University of California-Davis
M.S. in Food Engineering (with Honors), University of Ankara
B.S. in Food Engineering, University of Ankara
Dr. Gulustan Ozturk is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, an affiliate faculty member in Biological Systems Engineering, and a faculty member of the Dairy Innovation Hub. Her research focuses on dairy ingredient innovation, functional foods, sustainable processing, and translational nutrition, with an emphasis on developing bioactive dairy systems that promote healthy aging, gut health, and overall human health while creating value-added opportunities for dairy coproduct utilization.
She serves on the Editorial Boards of Frontiers in Nutrition, JDS Communications, and the International Journal of Food Properties, and is Vice Chair of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) Phospholipids Division.
Outside the laboratory, Dr. Ozturk is an endurance athlete and Ironman trainee who enjoys cycling, swimming, running, travel, discovering local coffee shops, exploring food cultures, and singing. She is fascinated by the connections among food, science, health, and human performance.
gozturk@wisc.edu
(608)263-2012
Staff
Dr. Yu Hasegawa
Researcher II, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences
Ph.D. in Food Science, University of California-Davis
B.S. in Bioscience and Chemistry, Hokkaido University
Yu is a Researcher II whose work focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the health‑promoting properties of bioactive compounds from WPPC. Yu completed postdoctoral training at the UW-Madison (Bolling Lab, Food Science) and later worked as a Senior Scientist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. During this period, she led multidisciplinary research projects focused on women’s health and pregnancy‑related complications. In her free time, Yu enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring anime, manga, video games, and playing the koto, a traditional Japanese instrument.
Rebecca Goodman
Research specialist, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences
M.S. in Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.S. in Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Becca earned her Master’s in Food Science with Ozturk Lab, researching how processing parameters affects WPPC, an underutilized, nutrient-rich dairy byproduct. She also has teaching experience with the Chemistry and Food Science departments, and won a Dairy Innovator award with her product development team for a functional dairy dessert. In her free time she enjoys cooking, Ultimate frisbee, and sewing.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Dr. Ayushi Kapoor
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences
Ph.D. in Food Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India
M.Sc. Food Technology, University of Allahabad
B.Sc. (Hons.) Food Technology, Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology & Sciences
Ayushi is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Ozturk Lab, where her research focuses on membrane processing and the characterization of WPPC. Previously, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Center for Dairy Research (CDR), University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she developed membrane-based processes for lactic acid purification from dairy industry co-products and studied the rheology of sweet whey powders. Her research aims to develop sustainable membrane-based processes for the valorization of food industry by-products. Outside the lab, she enjoys biking and painting and is passionate about mentoring students.
Graduate Students
Mitchell Armstrong
Ph.D. Student, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences
Mitchell is currently pursuing his Ph.D. and serves as a lieutenant in the Army National Guard. His prior research includes working for Dr. Briana M. Burton at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an undergraduate and post-baccalaureate through the UW-PREP program. His research focuses on dairy stream processing, utilizing membrane filtration technologies to isolate and concentrate bioactive compounds from WPPC. Mitchell aims to leverage these technologies and bioactive substances to enhance human health. In his free time, Mitchell enjoys curling, paragliding, and playing Dungeon and Dragons.
Luis McDougall
M.S. Student, Department of Biological Systems and Engineering
Luis is a master’s student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying biological systems engineering. He began working with the Ozturk lab as an undergraduate research assistant in March 2024 and graduated with bachelor’s degrees in biology and economics with mathematical emphasis in Dec 2025. Outside of research and class work, Luis enjoys cello, playing sports, and spending time with family and friends.
Undergraduate Students
Soren Saleme Urday
Undergrad Student, Department of Chemical Engineering (Minor: Biology in Engineering)
Research Assistant
Soren is a rising senior majoring in chemical engineering with a certificate in biology. He is currently an undergraduate research assistant, seeking to pursue a career in food science and engineering to advance human health and nutrition. He joined the Ozturk Lab in the Spring of 2026. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing tennis, listening to music, and spending time with friends.
Previous Lab Members
- Tina Zhou (Undergraduate Student)
- Shelby Benker (Undergraduate Student)
- Caitlin Seurynck (Undergraduate Student)
- Rachel Tze (Undergraduate Student)
- Fatemeh “Nassim” Jalil Mozhdehi (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Current: Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Animal Science, UW-Madison - Ina “Jerina” Rugji (Postdoctoral Fellow)
- Zoe Atkins (Undergraduate Student)
Current: Ph.D. student, Department of Food Science, Cornell University