Announcements

1. Congratulations on winning the Nutrients 2026 Best PhD Thesis Award! Could you briefly introduce yourself?
Thank you very much. It is a great honor to receive the Nutrients 2026 Best PhD Thesis Award, and I am sincerely grateful for this recognition.
I recently completed my PhD at King’s College London in the United Kingdom, and I am currently undertaking postdoctoral research in China. Since beginning my PhD, my primary research interests have focused on polyphenols and their relationship with cardiometabolic health, as well as their potential implications for other health outcomes.
Throughout my doctoral studies, I became particularly interested in methodological approaches for assessing polyphenol intake and investigating their associations with human health. This continues to be an important direction for my current research, and I hope to further develop this area throughout my academic career.

2. What motivated you to pursue your current research topic?
My interest in nutrition and its relationship with non-communicable diseases began before my PhD. When I joined Professor Ana Rodriguez-Mateos’s research group, I became increasingly familiar with her work on polyphenols, and this gradually led me to focus my doctoral research on polyphenols and cardiometabolic health.
What particularly attracted me to this field was its methodological complexity. Polyphenols represent an exceptionally diverse group of bioactive compounds, with thousands of different compounds identified to date. Compared with some other nutritional components, accurately assessing polyphenol exposure can therefore be particularly challenging.
Rather than discouraging me, these challenges strengthened my interest in the field. I became increasingly interested in two fundamental questions: how can we assess polyphenol intake more accurately, and how can improved assessment methods help us better understand their potential health effects?
There are still many methodological questions that remain to be explored, and I find this particularly motivating. The opportunity to contribute to improving these methods and, ultimately, to a better understanding of the relationship between polyphenols and human health continues to inspire my research.

3. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during your PhD journey, and how did you overcome them?
One of the greatest challenges was the strongly methodological nature of my PhD. A substantial proportion of my thesis involved developing and applying methodological approaches, particularly for organizing polyphenol databases, managing large datasets, conducting advanced statistical analyses, and eventually applying machine-learning techniques.
When I began, I had relatively limited experience with several of the statistical and computational tools required for this work. Moreover, this methodological direction was relatively new within my immediate research environment, which meant that there was not always someone available with direct experience of the specific problems I was trying to solve.
Consequently, I had to become a highly independent learner. I spent considerable time studying the literature, learning statistical software and programming, examining existing methodologies, and gradually developing the necessary analytical skills. Some projects, particularly those involving metabolic signatures and machine-learning approaches such as elastic net and ridge regression, required me to begin with very little prior knowledge.
Although this was challenging, it ultimately became one of the most valuable aspects of my PhD. It taught me that research often requires us to work beyond our existing expertise. By approaching difficult problems systematically, reading extensively, learning independently, and remaining persistent, I was able to develop skills that I now consider fundamental to my research career.

4. What advice would you give to students who are starting their thesis journey or approaching the end of theirs?
The most important advice I would give is not to expect the first version to be perfect. Start, complete the first version, and then improve it.
During my PhD, I found it extremely helpful to establish clear and relatively strict timelines for individual tasks—for example, completing a statistical analysis, preparing figures, or producing the first draft of a manuscript. Having a complete first version, even if it is imperfect, gives you something concrete to evaluate, discuss with your supervisors and colleagues, and progressively refine.
I would also encourage students not to become overwhelmed by considering the thesis as one enormous task. Instead, divide it into smaller, manageable components and focus on completing them one at a time. A PhD can appear intimidating when viewed in its entirety, but individual problems are usually much more manageable when approached systematically.
Finally, I think it is important to have confidence in your ability to learn. There will inevitably be moments when you encounter unfamiliar methods or difficult research questions. You do not need to know everything at the beginning. Research itself is a process of learning. Once you begin working on a problem, seeking appropriate resources, discussing your ideas, and making incremental progress, challenges that initially appeared overwhelming often become much more manageable.
For students approaching the end of their PhD, I would particularly emphasize the importance of continuing to move forward rather than waiting for every section to feel perfect. Finish the first complete version, seek feedback, revise carefully, and trust the progress you have made throughout your doctoral journey.

5. Would you like to share your experience with Nutrients? Do you have any suggestions for the editorial team?
My experience with Nutrients has accompanied several important stages of my academic development, which makes receiving this award particularly meaningful to me.
My first experience submitting to Nutrients was during my master’s studies at Peking University. That submission was unsuccessful, and as an early-career researcher, receiving a rejection was naturally disappointing. However, the experience became part of my development as a researcher.
Later, during my PhD, Nutrients became the journal in which I published my first first-author paper from my doctoral research. I remember that publication particularly well because completing and publishing the first paper of a PhD can be a significant milestone. The editorial and peer-review process was efficient, and successfully publishing that work gave me greater confidence as I progressed with my subsequent research.
Receiving the Nutrients Best PhD Thesis Award therefore feels like another important milestone in this journey—from experiencing an early rejection, to publishing my doctoral research in the journal, and now to receiving this recognition.
Regarding suggestions for the editorial team, I particularly appreciate initiatives that recognize and support PhD students and early-career researchers. Awards such as this can provide meaningful encouragement at a formative stage of an academic career. I would therefore encourage Nutrients to continue developing opportunities that recognize high-quality work by early-career researchers and support their continued academic development.

6. What motivated you to apply for the Best PhD Thesis Award? As the winner, is there someone you would like to thank or something you wish to express?
I first learned about the Nutrients Best PhD Thesis Award during the first year of my PhD, when information about the award was circulated within our department. Although graduation was still several years away, I saved the information and thought that, when the time came, I would like to challenge myself and apply.
By the end of my PhD, I had also received recognition for my doctoral thesis at King’s College London, which encouraged me to submit my work for the Nutrients award. I was aware that previous winners had very strong academic records, so I certainly did not assume that I would win. Nevertheless, I believed that applying was worthwhile. Receiving the award has therefore been both an honor and an important source of encouragement as I begin the next stage of my research career.
Most importantly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my primary supervisor, Professor Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, and my secondary supervisor, Dr Rachel Gibson.
Professor Rodriguez-Mateos played a particularly important role in shaping the direction of my PhD. During the early stage of my doctoral studies, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the randomized controlled trial that I had initially prepared to undertake. At a difficult point in my PhD, she encouraged me to explore a new methodological research direction, despite the fact that it was unfamiliar and challenging. Her confidence in my ability to undertake this work gave me the motivation to continue and ultimately shaped much of what became my doctoral thesis.
Throughout my PhD, both of my supervisors provided valuable scientific guidance, encouragement, and opportunities to develop as an independent researcher. Professor Rodriguez-Mateos also supported my collaborations and helped me gain experience working with large cohort datasets, which became an important part of my methodological development.
I am sincerely grateful for their trust, patience, guidance, and continued encouragement. This award represents not only my own work but also the support, mentorship, and collaboration I received throughout my doctoral journey.
Finally, I would like to thank Nutrients and the award committee for this recognition. Receiving this award at the transition from my PhD to the next stage of my academic career is particularly meaningful. It gives me additional confidence and motivation to continue exploring the relationship between polyphenols, nutrition, and cardiometabolic health and to contribute further to the field.