Curriculum Vitae R.

Liu

Ruyu Liu, MS, RD

Work address: 805 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02118
Phone: (513)-680-3454
Email: ruyuliu.evensen@gmail.com
Last revised: October 2020

EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS

2020 M.S. in Nutritional Sciences
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Thesis title: Early Life Nutrition and Genetic Contribution to
Carotenoid Status in Children
Advisor: Naiman Khan, Ph.D., RD

2018 B.S. in Food Science and Human Nutrition

UIUC
Concentration: Dietetics

2020 Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RND/RD)

UIUC

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
2020-Present Research Technician, Center for Cognitive and Brain Health,
Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, MA
Principal Investigator (PI): Charles Hillman, Ph.D.
Study Overview: A 12-month exercise intervention study (goal n=639)
to examine the relationship between exercise and brain health in older
adults.
Position Description: Administer study tasks and tests including a
variety of cognitive tests (e.g. HVLT, BVMT, NIH Toolbox Cognition
Battery, etc.), physical function assessments, VO2 max assessment.
Process blood samples for stress marker and other biomarker
analyses.

2018-2020 Graduate Research Assistant, Body Composition and Nutritional

Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology & Community
Health, UIUC, IL
PI: Naiman Khan, Ph.D., RD
Position Description: Collected and managed date from multiple clinical
trial studies involving children and older adults. Data analysis;
manuscript writing; funding seeking. Supervised trainings and daily
schedule for undergraduate research assistants. Served as a mentor
for 2 undergraduate research assistants for their research project.

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Curriculum Vitae R. Liu

2016-2018 Research Technician, Body Composition and Nutritional

Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology & Community
Health, UIUC, IL
PI: Naiman Khan, Ph.D., RD
Position Description: Administered tasks for tests for several clinical
trial studies involving children, young and older adults, including
cognitive tasks with EEG caps, DXA, VO2 max, KBIT, Urinalysis,
heterochromatic flicker photometry for macular pigment optical
density assessment, and optical coherence tomography. Supervised
trainings and daily schedule for undergraduate research assistants

2015-2016 Undergraduate Research Assistant, Body Composition and

Nutritional Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology &
Community Health, UIUC, IL
PI: Naiman Khan, Ph.D., RD
Position Description: Administered tasks for tests for several clinical
trial studies involving children, young and older adults, including
cognitive tasks with EEG caps, DXA, VO2 max, KBIT, Urinalysis, etc.

2015-2016 Undergraduate Research Assistant, Family Resiliency Center,

Department of Human Development and Family Studies, UIUC, IL
PI: Jessica Jarick Metcalfe, MPH, Ph.D.
Study Overview: A SNAP-Ed-funded culinary and nutrition education
program for children aged from 8-13 years.
Position Description: Data entry; data analysis; manuscript writing;
funding seeking. Assisted with the development of an innovative
cooking skill testing protocol to assess the effectiveness of the
program.

2015-2016 Undergraduate Research Assistant, Renal and Cardiovascular

Disease Research Laboratory, UIUC, IL
PI: Kenneth Wilund, Ph.D.
Position Description: Provided one-on-one nutrition counseling to
three dialysis patients with end-stage renal disease twice a week.

PUBLICATIONS
1. Khan, N.A., Cannavale, C.N., Iwinski, S., Liu, R., McLoughlin, G., Steinberg, L.G., Walk,
A.M. Visceral Adiposity and Diet Quality are Differentially Associated with Cognitive
Abilities and Early Academic Skills among Preschool-age Children. Frontiers in
Pediatrics. 14 January 2020

MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW

1. Liu, R., Edwards, C.G., Cannavale, C.N., Flemming, I.R., Chojnacki, M.R., Reeser, G.E.,
Renzi- Hammond, L.M., Khan, N.A. Weight Status and Visceral Adiposity Mediate the

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Relationship between Breastfeeding Duration and Skin Carotenoids in Later

Childhood. Early Human Development. Under review.
2. Liu, R., Hannon, B.A., Robinson, K.N., Raine, L.B., Hammond, B.R., Renzi-Hammond,
L.M., Cohen, N.J., Kramer, A.F., Hillman, C.H., Teran-Garcia, M., Khan, N.A. Single
Nucleotide Polymorphisms in BCO1 and CD36 Influence Macular Pigment among
Children. Journal of Nutrition. Under review.
3. Iwinski, S., Edwards, C., Flemming, I., Cannavale, C., Liu, R., Reeser, G., Walk, A.,
Khan, N. Disordered Eating Attitudes are Inversely Related to Intellectual and
Academic Abilities in Childhood. Eating Behaviors. Under review.
4. Metcalfe, J. J., Fiese, B., Liu, R., McCaffrey, J. Improvements in cooking self-efficacy,
attitudes, behaviors, and food preferences as a result of a hands-on cooking program
for youth. Journal of Nutrition and Behavior. Under review.

ABSTRATCS
1. Edwards, C.G., Cannavale, C.N., Iwinski, S., Flemming, I.R., Liu, R., Walk, A., Khan, N.A.
(2020), Macular Carotenoids are Associated with Neural Efficiency in Children. ASN,
Seattle, WA
2. Cannavale, C.N., Edwards, C.G., Liu, R., Iwinski, S., Walk, A., Khan, N.A. (2020).
Auditory and Visual Working Memory are Differentially Related to Carotenoid
Status in Preadolescent Children. ASN, Seattle, WA
3. Liu, R., Edwards, C.G., Cannavale, C.N., Flemming, I.R., Iwinski, S., Renzi-Hammond, L.,
Khan, N.A. (2019). Weight and Adiposity Mediate the Correlation between Breastfeeding
and Skin Carotenoids in Childhood. Obesity Week, Las Vegas, NV
4. Liu, R., Hannon, B., Robinson, K., Raine, L., Hammond, B., Renzi-Hammond, L.,
Cohen, N., Kramer, A., Hillman, C., Teran-Garcia, M., & Khan, N. (2019). Single
Nucleotide Polymorphisms in BCO1 and CD36 are related to Macular Pigment
among Children. ASN Nutrition, Baltimore, MD
5. Iwinski, S., Cannavale, C., Walk, A., Liu, R., McLoughlin, G., Khan, N. (2019).
Interrelationships between household chaos, children’s ADHD tendencies, and diet
quality. ASN Nutrition, Baltimore, MD
6. Walk, A., McLoughlin, G., Cannavale, C., Iwinski, S., Liu, R., Steinberg, L., & Khan,
N. (2018). Sub-aerobic fitness is related to the neuroelectric indices of attention in
early childhood. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA
7. Metcalfe, J.J., Liu, R., Fiese, B., & McCaffrey, J. (2018). The Illinois Junior Chefs
Program: outcome evaluation of a hands-on culinary education intervention. ASN
Nutrition, Boston, MA
8. Cannavale, C.N., Walk, A.D.M., Liu, R., Iwinski S.J., McLoughlin, G., Gholson, L.M.,
Khan, N.A. (2018). The relationship between Adiposity and Cognitive Function in
Early Childhood. ASN Nutrition, Boston, MA
9. Metcalfe, J., Fiese B., Liu, R., Emberton E., & McCaffrey, J. (2017). When kids learn to
cook: Findings from the Illinois Junior Chefs Effectiveness Trial. Society of Nutrition
Education and Behavior, Washington, DC
10. Metcalfe, J., Fiese, B., Liu, R., Emberton, E., & McCaffrey, J. (2017). Positive Changes
in Participants' Dietary Attitudes and Behaviors as a Result of the Illinois Junior
Chefs Program. International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

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Annual Conference, Victoria, Canada

11. Liu, R., Evensen, J., & Khan N. (2017). The relationship between dietary
carbohydrates and cognition. Undergraduate Research Symposium (UIUC),
Champaign, IL
12. Liu, R., Metcalfe, J., Emberton, E., Fiese, B., & McCaffrey, J. (2017). The influence of
program structure on the impacts of the Illinois Junior Chefs Program. Experimental
Biology, Chicago IL
13. Metcalfe, J.J., McCaffrey, J., Fiese, B., Liu, R., & Emberton, E. (2016). Children’s
cooking program improves dietary behaviors and attitudes: A pilot study of the
Illinois Junior Chefs Program. Society for Research in Child Development
Conference, Austin, TX
14. Covello, A.R., Nicolaus, C.J., Curran, M.R., Edwards, C.G., Baumgartner, N.W., Liu, R.,
Loehmer, E., McCafrrey, J., An, R. & Khan, N.A. (2016). Examining the role of habitual
physical activity in the food insecurity-obesity paradox. Experimental Biology, Chicago,
IL
15. Speirs, K.E., Dahlberg, E., Gonrong, P., Liu, R., & Tepede, A. (2016). Feeding for the
future: Child care providers’ feeding practices and access to training. Society of
Nutrition Education and Behavior Annual Conference, San Diego, CA
16. Liu, R., Bhatt. J., & Malinowski, A., (2016). Family factors in childhood obesity: Parental
health literacy and child’s BMI. Undergraduate Research Symposium (UIUC),
Champaign, IL

PRESENTATIONS
Oral
2019 American Society of Nutrition, Baltimore, MD
Presentation Title: Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in BCO1 and CD36
are related to Macular Pigment among Children

2018 American Society of Nutrition, Boston, MA

Presentation Title: The Illinois Junior Chefs Program: Outcome
Evaluation of a Hands-on Culinary Education Intervention

2017 Undergraduate Research Symposium (UIUC), Urbana, IL

Presentation Title: The Impact of Program Structure on Outcomes of
the Illinois Junior Chefs Program

Poster
2019 Obesity Week, Las Vegas, NV
Presentation Title: Weight and Adiposity Mediate the Correlation
between Breastfeeding and Skin Carotenoids in Childhood

2017 Undergraduate Research Symposium (UIUC), Urbana, IL

Presentation Title: The Relationship Between Dietary Carbohydrates
and Cognition

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2017 Experimental Biology, Chicago, IL

(Emerging Leaders Poster Competition finalist)
Presentation Title: The Influence of Program Structure on the Impacts
of the Illinois Junior Chefs Program

2016 Undergraduate Research Symposium (UIUC), Urbana, IL

Presentation Title: Family Factors in Childhood Obesity: Parental
Health Literacy and Child’s BMI

SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS

Year Funding Funding Agency Role Title
2020 $2,000 Division of Nutritional PI Correlations between
Sciences, UIUC Carotenoid Assessment
Techniques
2019 $5,000 Division of Nutritional PI Genetic Determinants of
Sciences, UIUC Macular Pigment in
Children
2018 $800 College of Agricultural, Co- The Illinois Junior Chefs
Consumer & Investigator Program: Outcome
Environmental Sciences, Evaluation of a Hands-on
UIUC Culinary Education
(Travel Award for Intervention
attending ASN Nutrition)
2018 $1962 College of Agricultural, PI Genetic Variants Relate to
Consumer & Neural Carotenoids and
Environmental Sciences, Childhood Cognitive
UIUC Function
2017 $375 College of Agricultural, PI The Impact of Program
Consumer & Structure on Outcomes of
Environmental Sciences, the Illinois Junior Chefs
UIUC Program
(Travel Award for
attending Experimental
Biology)
2017 $1,500 Office of Undergraduate Co-PI The Evaluation and
Research, UIUC Modification of Illinois
Junior Chefs Program

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2020 Teaching Assistant
FSHN 120, Contemporary Nutrition, UIUC
Position Description: Graded and provided feedback on several essay
assignments for over 700 students. Held office hours and served as a
resource for students regarding course work.

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Curriculum Vitae R. Liu

2019 Discussion Leader

FSHN 220, Principles of Nutrition
Position Description: Presented interactive lectures on a variety of
nutrition topics, such as food marketing, food deserts, and minerals
and vitamins. Graded and provided feedback on writing assignments.

INVITED TALKS
2020 Summer Self-Care Series, Illinois Extension
Presentation title: Decoding that Diet You Saw on the Internet: Keto,
Gluten-Free, and Fasting
Attendance: 160

2020 Autumn Health Picks, Illinois Extension

Presentation title: Decoding that Diet You Saw on the Internet 2:
Vegan, Vegetarian, and Paleo Diets
Attendance: 75

2020 KIN 494, Food, Health and Wellness, UIUC

Presentation title: Vitamins and Minerals

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
2019-2020 Outreach Chair
Nutritional Science Graduate Student Association, UIUC

2020 Judge
Undergraduate Research Symposium, UIUC

2019-2020 Blog Writer and Editor

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