Neesha Maria Bukht

Bombay, India

Undergraduate: Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Bombay

Graduate: Masters in Health Education and Health Behavior, University of Texas, Austin

neeshamb@gmail.com

 

What do you plan to do in the future, career-wise?

 

I hope to combine my background education, with my practical experience as a dietician and the experience I’ve had at the Food Brand Lab, to make a difference in the way health interventions are applied. I’m also very interested in consumer psychology and food marketing.

 

What projects did you work on this summer?

 

I had so much to do but felt so energized all through as I was doing something I really loved. I had a chance to participate in a variety of projects. One week, we would spend doing research at the lab, and another week conducting a survey. I was even filmed on CBC for a segment that will be on air soon!

 

• I worked with one of the post-doc supervisors, Dr. Drew Hanks, on a study that observed whether providing carrots to children as soon as they are seated at restaurants makes the table order healthier choices for the rest of the meal. We gathered data in the form of surveys, plate weights and waste measures at restaurants.

• I worked with Dr. Aner Tal on several of his projects, including online surveys on the relationship between eating behaviors on television and the people watching these behaviors, food ingredient fears, and more!

• The biggest project I worked on was under the guidance of Dr. Wansink, on the most effective, small changes made by people who effectively lose weight. This involved reading through and coding many responses from Reddit, and using crowdsourcing to gather data. This project culminated in a roughly 15-page paper that we are working to get published.

 

Any advice for future interns?

 

This internship requires hard work and perseverance; however, Dr. Wansink never discouaged us to speak our minds and encouraged brainstorming and sharing of project ideas. I was nervous to come here since I don’t have a specific background in food psychology or marketing, but I’m so glad I did. The other interns were diverse, and much can be learned from them as well! The Food & Brand Lab is a great place to work, where you’ll be surrounded by extremely intelligent, motivated, and fun people. It is truly the best work experience I’ve ever had and unforgettable.