Biography:

Dr. Daniela Barile joined the IMGC Scientific Advisory Committee in 2026. She is a Professor of Food Chemistry in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on understanding the complex molecules in foods and how they can be used to improve human health, with milk serving as a major model system for this work. At the University of California, Davis, Dr. Barile leads a research program that uses advanced mass spectrometry, glycomics, peptidomics, and bioinformatics to study bioactive compounds in human and other mammalian milks. Her laboratory has made important contributions to the characterization of milk oligosaccharides, glycans, glycoproteins, peptides, and milk fat globule membrane components, including how their composition varies across species, breeds, lactation, and processing. A major goal of her work is to connect molecular composition with biological function. In collaboration with microbiologists, nutrition scientists, clinicians, and food engineers, her group studies how milkderived compounds influence the gut microbiome, intestinal health, and the gut-brain axis using in vitro systems and animal models. Her laboratory also developed processing approaches to recover and enrich bioactive compounds from dairy streams and translate these discoveries into functional ingredients. Dr. Barile has also led efforts to make milk glycomics data more accessible through open databases and international glycoinformatics resources. Her highly collaborative research has resulted in more than 165 peer-reviewed publications and extensive partnerships with academic and industry scientists worldwide.