Sharon M Donovan

Sharon M Donovan holds the Melissa N. Noel Endowed Chair in Nutrition and Health at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she is a Professor in Food Science and Human Nutrition, Nutritional Sciences, and multiple institutes including the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology and Center for Social & Behavioral Science. She directs the Personalized Nutrition Initiative and maintains affiliations with Biomedical and Translational Sciences programs.

Her research focuses on infant nutrition and gut-brain interactions, particularly examining how human milk components like oligosaccharides influence microbiome development, immune function, and cognitive outcomes. Using piglet models and human cohort studies (notably STRONG Kids 2), she investigates dietary impacts on neurodevelopment, temperament, and metabolic health. Current work emphasizes personalized nutrition frameworks and data integration challenges.

Recent publications reveal strong thematic focus on microbiome-mediated mechanisms linking diet to cognitive function in early childhood, with particular attention to breastfeeding versus formula feeding outcomes. Her team frequently employs advanced techniques including single-cell transcriptomics, metabolomics, and longitudinal behavioral assessments.

• Mead Johnson Award (1997)
• National Academy of Medicine Membership (2017)
• Norman Kretchmer Memorial Award (2006)

Dr. Donovan leads major NIH-funded initiatives including the STRONG Kids 2 birth cohort study examining diet-cognition relationships, and directs the Personalized Nutrition Initiative addressing data fusion challenges. Her lab utilizes piglet models for translational research on gut-brain axis development, with recent work on colitis models and oligosaccharide interventions. She actively collaborates across genomics, behavioral science, and translational medicine disciplines.

Her research team operates within the Personalized Nutrition Initiative framework, utilizing the university's advanced genomics and metabolomics facilities at the Carl R. Woese Institute. Current projects include multi-omics analysis of infant microbiome development and large-scale dietary pattern assessments in toddler populations.