Rachel C Anderson

Summary

I am a Senior Scientist in the Food Nutrition & Health Team at AgResearch, which is one of New Zealand's Crown Research Institutes. I am also an Associate Investigator in the Riddet Centre for Research Excellence based at Massey University. My research focuses on how foods effect the interactions between the host and its resident bacteria, in particular how these alter intestinal barrier function. I have a special interest in the role of the obligate anaerobes, which account for the majority of the bacteria in the intestines but are largely unstudied due to the technical difficulties of co-culturing obligate anaerobes (cannot survive in oxygen) and intestinal cells (require oxygen). Prior to working at AgResearch, I completed my PhD at Massey University investigating the antimicrobial properties of cathelicidin peptides isolated from ovine blood.

Cell Biology Food Science & Technology Microbiology Molecular Biology Nutrition