Bradley (Brad) Bolling, PhD

Brad is an Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science. He pursued a career in Food Science after taking an analytical chemistry course which sparked his interest in the field, and was given the opportunity to work as an undergraduate researcher in microbiology and later, chemistry and health. He earned BS and PhD degrees in Food Science at UW-Madison focusing on the cancer-preventing components of beans, before training at the Jean Meyer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. At Tufts, he continued to pursue his interest in polyphenol chemistry, metabolism, nutrition, and health. After beginning his faculty career at the University of Connecticut, he returned to UW-Madison in 2014 to lead a program in food and health research. His team is focused on improving the impact of food on human and environmental health, while increasing the sustainability and equity of the food system. Brad has broad interests in food, including nuts, fruits, vegetables, spices, fermented dairy products, and waste materials from food production. More recently, he is interested in developing underutilized foods in Wisconsin, such as aronia berry and hazelnut that can improve biodiversity and the ecological landscapes. He has contributed to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, including Advanced Food Biochemistry, The Chocolate Experience, Principles of Food Preservation, and Food Bioactives.

Outside of the office, you can find Brad spending time with family and friends, biking, hiking, birdwatching, gardening, cross-country skiing, cooking, playing ultimate frisbee, disc golfing or trying to teach his dog Ranger new tricks. He enjoys traveling and is enthusiastic about learning about new cultures and foods. He has been dethroned as the pickleball champion of the lab and is currently searching for a sport that he can claim he is the best at.