Graduate Students

 Sarah Dumas

I am interested in understanding how people in rural, resource-poor communities can sustainably produce their own animal source foods (ASF, including meat, milk, and eggs) in order to increase its consumption among children at high risk of chronic undernutrition. After a successful pilot project, I am currently testing the impact of 24 small-scale, community-operated egg production facilities on the egg consumption and growth of children in the Luangwa Valley, Zambia in collaboration with Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO). My research is positioned at the intersection of human, animal, and ecosystem health, a concept termed “One Health.”

Dadirai Fundira

My current work is in collaboration with Zvitambo project and explores the feasibility and acceptability of a water sanitation intervention within the first 1000 days of life (Baby WASH). I am also working on a project that seek to strengthen Capacity to deliver nutrition interventions in Tanzania as part of the scaling up nutrition initiative.  My overarching interest lies in understanding the individual and combined effects of WASH, food security and nutrition interventions on early childhood development and under nutrition, and how multidisciplinary approaches can solve nutrition challenges.

Ibukun Owoputi

I am interested in implementation research and program evaluation for maternal and child nutrition programs. I am also interested in the impact of women’s empowerment on childhood nutrition and the use of participatory research methods. I am currently working on the ASTUTE (Addressing Stunting in Tanzania Early) project.

Anthony Wenndt

I am interested in the biology and ecology of toxigenic fungi, and the implications of mycotoxin contamination in staple crops for food security and nutrition. I am a TCI Scholar with the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition, where I am investigating the utility of Participatory Action Research (PAR)-guided interventions in mitigating the mycotoxin burden in Indian village food systems.

Student Research Assistants

The CENTIR Group has had additional support from the exceptional group of students listed below.