Surabhi Bhutani
Pronouns: She/Her
Associate Professor
SDSU
Primary Email: [email protected]
Phone/Fax
Primary Phone: 619-594-4094
Building/Location
Exercise and Nutritional Science - 307
Files
Website Links
Bio
Dr. Surabhi Bhutani is an Associate Professor of Human Nutrition at San Diego State University whose research integrates sensory nutrition with sleep and circadian science and behavioral nutrition. Her research is motivated by a broad question: Why are some individuals more vulnerable than others to food environments that promote overeating and weight gain, and why are healthy dietary changes easier to initiate and sustain for some people than for others? Her research examines how smell and taste shape food choice and dietary intake, and how these sensory processes are influenced by the physiological and behavioral context in which eating occurs. A major focus of her work is the role of sleep and circadian patterns in altering sensory perception and food reward. She is particularly interested in whether poor or mistimed sleep changes how foods are perceived and valued in ways that increase the appeal of highly palatable foods, larger portions, or eating at less favorable times of day. Her work also examines neural responses to food reward as a potential pathway through which sleep and circadian disruption may influence eating behavior. Together, these studies aim to identify mechanisms that help explain individual differences in eating behavior and cardiometabolic risk. She integrates controlled human studies with real-world approaches to examine these mechanisms and their relevance to everyday eating behavior. Dr. Bhutani also seeks to translate these mechanistic insights into practical approaches for improving diet-related health. She is particularly interested in sensory-informed strategies that use odor, taste, and flavor to support healthier food choices and dietary adherence. In parallel, she studies dietary and behavioral approaches that may improve sleep while supporting healthier weight and cardiometabolic outcomes. Across these areas, her long-term goal is to identify modifiable processes that can be leveraged to make healthy dietary changes easier to adopt and sustain. Dr. Bhutani serves on the Leadership Team of the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research (GCCR), an international consortium that advances collaborative research on smell and taste.
Education
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Sleep and Sensory Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Human Nutrition and Metabolism, University of Wisconsin Madison
- PhD, Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Chicago
- MS, Foods and Nutrition, University of Delhi
- BS, Foods and Nutrition (Honors), University of Delhi
Interests
- Sleep and circadian influences on smell, taste, food reward, and eating behavior
- Individual differences in smell and taste perception and their influence on food choice and dietary behavior
- Sensory-informed approaches to promote healthier eating
- Dietary and behavioral interventions for sleep and circadian health, weight management, and cardiometabolic health
Publications
- For an up-to-date publications list see
My Bibliography NCBI
Google Scholar
Professional Affiliation
- The Global Consortium of Chemosensory Research (GCCR) – Leadership Committee Member
- BMC Nutrition Journal – Associate Editor
- The Obesity Society – Member
- The American Society for Nutrition – Member
- Association for Chemoreception Sciences – Member
- Cognitive Neuroscience Society – Member
Teaching Responsibilities
- NUTR 304- Nutrition Throughout the Life Span
- NUTR 511- Nutrition Education and Counseling
- NUTR 610- Nutrition and Energy