Roshonda Jones
Roshonda Jones
Roshonda Jones is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California and she received her PhD in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As a part of her doctoral dissertation research, she analyzed complex microbiome sequencing data to identify microbes and microbial gene pathways in the human gut that are associated with disease states or external factors such as diet. She is currently a part of the Childhood Obesity Research Center (CORC) where she uses her expertise in bioinformatics to identify clinical markers of obesity and metabolic disease. More precisely, Roshonda coordinates a longitudinal study to determine the impact of breast milk sugars and mothers’ consumption of dietary sugars on the development of the gut microbiome in breastfed Hispanic infants. This research will provide insights into the development and prevention of chronic illnesses among vulnerable segments of the population. Roshonda’s long-term goal is to determine how modification of the microbiome during infancy and childhood through diet and probiotic administration can be used to prevent, diagnose, and treat children who are suffering from metabolic disorders.
Ph.D.: BCB, 2016