Faculty and Staff

  • photo of Raedeh Basiri

    Assistant Professor, Nutrition 

    Dr. Raedeh Basiri is an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. Basiri’s research interests are assessing the effects of healthy eating on the prevention and treatment of diabetes and obesity. She is also interested in preventing pediatric obesity via the application of multi-faceted interventions.
  • Sapna Batheja

    Assistant Professor, Nutrition

    Dr. Batheja is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food and Nutrition Studies. Batheja’s research interests are how to leverage technology to create dietary behavior changes and impact overweight and obesity.
  • Chair and Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Studies

    Martin Binks Ph.D., MBA is professor, and Chair of the department of Nutrition and Food Studies at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. Dr. Binks has been a metabolic disease scientist & clinician for over 20 years and is an experienced administrative leader in healthcare, business and clinical program development. He has assisted thousands of patients with behavioral pharmacologic and surgical weight loss, health and wellness, and quality of life improvement and has mentored countless early career professionals over his distinguished career.
  • Headshot of Lawrence Cheskin

    Professor, Nutrition and Food Studies

    Dr. Cheskin is Professor in the Nutrition and Food Studies, Co-Principal Investigator of the Mason Cohort: Health Starts Here study, and Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  He received his medical degree from Dartmouth, and postdoctoral training at Yale-New Haven Hospital. 
  • Lilian de Jonge

    Professor, Nutrition

    Dr. Lilian de Jonge is a professor at the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. She obtained her PhD degree in nutrition from the Université de Montréal, in Montréal, Canada.
  • Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Studies

    Dr. Maryam Farvid is an associate professor within the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, at College of Public Health.
  • Kerri LaCharite

    Associate Professor, Nutrition

    Dr. LaCharite is an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. She writes and teaches about sustainable food systems, food and culture, urban agriculture, and the effects of agriculture-based learning on eating behaviors.
  • Allison McKay

    MS, RDN, CES

    Department Manager, Nutrition

    Allison McKay is the Department Manager for the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies where she provides administrative support to the Chair and Department, and assistance to current and prospective students and visitors. In addition, she assists with the Nutrition programs, the teaching kitchen and nutrition clinics.   
  • Allison Miner, in a white sweater with long brown hair, smiles out from her Mason portrait

    Assistant Professor, Nutrition and Food Studies

    Dr. Allison Miner is a licensed dietitian and educator. Dr. Miner is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She also provides medical nutrition therapy at the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA, Health Unit). At the TSA she moderates a virtual weekly weight loss support group which is available to its 68,000+ employees.
  • Stefanos Tyrovolas, PhD

    Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Studies

    Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

    Dr. Tyrovolas is an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. He has a BSc in Dietetics and Nutrition, a MSc in ¨Applied Dietetics¨ and a PhD in Nutrition from the Harokopio University of Athens (Greece).