About
Dr. Geetha Thangiah is a tenured Professor in the Department of Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences within the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences at Clemson University, where she has served since August 2025. Prior to joining Clemson, she was an Alumni Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Auburn University.
Dr. Thangiah’s research focuses on childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes, with particular emphasis on the biological mechanisms driving disease risk, including epigenetic modifications, inflammatory biomarkers, and gut microbiota. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed abstracts and manuscripts, and her work has been presented at over 125 national and regional conferences. Her research program has been supported by competitive funding, including an NIH grant, and integrates molecular biology with nutrition science to advance precision strategies for disease prevention and management.
At Clemson, Dr. Thangiah is building interdisciplinary collaborations with faculty colleagues and developing partnerships with health systems such as Prisma Health. These collaborations aim to translate biomarker-driven findings into real-world interventions, improve continuity of care, and address critical health challenges facing vulnerable populations. Through her scholarship, Dr. Thangiah seeks to create scalable, evidence-based approaches that bridge laboratory discoveries with patient-centered interventions, ultimately improving health outcomes.
Visit Dr. Thangiah’s Faculty Profile.
How their research is transforming health care
My research focuses on childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes, two of the most urgent health challenges today. By investigating how genes, diet, and the environment interact through DNA methylation, inflammation, and gut microbiota, I aim to identify early molecular signals of disease. This allows us to develop tailored nutrition and lifestyle strategies that move beyond one-size-fits- all approaches.
Through collaborations with partners such as Prisma Health, I bridge laboratory discoveries with clinical and community-based practice. My research integrates biomarker-driven science with nutrition interventions to improve continuity of care and enhance long-term health outcomes.
Ultimately, this work promotes a more proactive, personalized, and integrative model of health care, one that addresses the root causes of chronic disease, empowers patients with practical tools, and supports healthier communities.
Health Research Expertise Keywords
Childhood Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, Epigenetics, DNA Methylation, Biomarkers, Inflammation, Gut Microbiota, Nutrition Interventions, Malnutrition, Community Health, Health Disparities, Precision Nutrition, Chronic Disease Prevention, Translational Research, Continuity of Care
