Personal Biography
Charlene Van Buiten was born and raised in Wallingford, Connecticut. Her love of animals led her to her public high school’s agricultural education program to pursue courses veterinary science, but her agricultural science horizons were broadened to include food science through her involvement with the National FFA Organization. She was instantly fascinated by the complex chemical reactions that happen all around us, especially on our dinner plates.
Dr. Van Buiten attended the University of Connecticut for her BS in Nutritional Sciences with minors in Food Science and Biological Sciences. During this time, she got involved with undergraduate research in the Department of Animal Science under the mentorship of Dr. Richard Mancini and his then-graduate student, Dr. Ranjith Ramanathan. She spent the summer of 2011 working full time in the lab as a SURF Fellowship recipient. This experience motivated her to pursue a PhD in Food Science, though her interested shifted from muscle foods to plant foods.
Dr. Van Buiten joined Dr. Ryan Elias’s lab in 2012. Elias enthusiastically supported her creativity and independence in pursuing a project that incorporated many techniques not previously used in the Elias Lab. Van Buiten’s dissertation project, “Physicochemical Interactions Between Gliadin and Dietary Polyphenols and the Potential Implications for Celiac Disease” featured a broad range of biophysical and biological techniques, as she characterized interactions Elias also encouraged Van Buiten to pursue a variety of extracurricular learning opportunities including research mentorship through Penn State’s Upward Bound Math & Science Summer STEM Academy and teaching two courses in the undergraduate curriculum, Communication of Scientific Research and Science & Technology of Plant Foods.
Following her graduation from Penn State in 2017, Dr. Van Buiten worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Ilya Raskin’s lab in the Department of Plant Biology at Rutgers University. Funded by a T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship via the National Institute of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Dr. Van Buiten pursued research projects relating to novel therapies for metabolic syndrome. Specifically, her work focused on poorly absorbed dietary compounds and their potential to modify the redox status of the gastrointestinal tract, which presents a novel therapeutic target for metabolic syndrome.
In 2019, Dr. Van Buiten joined the faculty at Colorado State University in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Dr. Van Buiten’s current research focuses on the development and characterization of nutraceutical strategies for combating chronic inflammatory diseases. She is continuing her research with celiac disease, and plans to branch into other diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Her interest in nutraceuticals and phytochemicals has also led her to pursue research in food processing, where she studies changes in bioactive profiles for plant-based foods for optimization of health benefits.
Dr. Van Buiten is currently an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University. She enjoys running, hiking and exploring Fort Collins’ local breweries, especially when there is live music to listen to.
Dr. Van Buiten attended the University of Connecticut for her BS in Nutritional Sciences with minors in Food Science and Biological Sciences. During this time, she got involved with undergraduate research in the Department of Animal Science under the mentorship of Dr. Richard Mancini and his then-graduate student, Dr. Ranjith Ramanathan. She spent the summer of 2011 working full time in the lab as a SURF Fellowship recipient. This experience motivated her to pursue a PhD in Food Science, though her interested shifted from muscle foods to plant foods.
Dr. Van Buiten joined Dr. Ryan Elias’s lab in 2012. Elias enthusiastically supported her creativity and independence in pursuing a project that incorporated many techniques not previously used in the Elias Lab. Van Buiten’s dissertation project, “Physicochemical Interactions Between Gliadin and Dietary Polyphenols and the Potential Implications for Celiac Disease” featured a broad range of biophysical and biological techniques, as she characterized interactions Elias also encouraged Van Buiten to pursue a variety of extracurricular learning opportunities including research mentorship through Penn State’s Upward Bound Math & Science Summer STEM Academy and teaching two courses in the undergraduate curriculum, Communication of Scientific Research and Science & Technology of Plant Foods.
Following her graduation from Penn State in 2017, Dr. Van Buiten worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Ilya Raskin’s lab in the Department of Plant Biology at Rutgers University. Funded by a T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship via the National Institute of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Dr. Van Buiten pursued research projects relating to novel therapies for metabolic syndrome. Specifically, her work focused on poorly absorbed dietary compounds and their potential to modify the redox status of the gastrointestinal tract, which presents a novel therapeutic target for metabolic syndrome.
In 2019, Dr. Van Buiten joined the faculty at Colorado State University in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Dr. Van Buiten’s current research focuses on the development and characterization of nutraceutical strategies for combating chronic inflammatory diseases. She is continuing her research with celiac disease, and plans to branch into other diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Her interest in nutraceuticals and phytochemicals has also led her to pursue research in food processing, where she studies changes in bioactive profiles for plant-based foods for optimization of health benefits.
Dr. Van Buiten is currently an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University. She enjoys running, hiking and exploring Fort Collins’ local breweries, especially when there is live music to listen to.
