Center Leadership
Sarah L. Booth, PhD
Center Director
Senior Scientist
Dr. Sarah Booth is Director of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (HNRCA) and Senior Scientist and also leads all research projects focused on diet and the aging brain and sensory systems.
Meghan Faherty
Associate Director Research Administration & Planning
Meghan Faherty oversees research administration and research finance at the HNRCA and is responsible for pre-award and post-award activities. She supports the development of strategic activities that enhance the HNRCA’s research capacity by supporting scientists in their efforts to identify key research opportunities, secure extramural funding, and build collaborations. She’s been a member of the HNRCA community for over 15 years in different grant and finance roles.
Steven Mello
Executive Administrative Director
Steven Mello leads the financial, administrative, and operational functions at the HNRCA and serves as a key liaison to both the central university and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. Prior to joining the HNRCA, he was the practice lead for strategic planning, executive leadership, and organizational development at Wooster Square Consulting. Steven partnered with Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations in health care, finance, higher education, and the performing arts to develop and execute on strategy, to lead organizational change management processes, and to create data-driven decision models. Earlier in his career, he worked at Yale School of Management and Columbia Business School in senior leadership positions working on strategy, innovation, operational efficiency, and growth.
José M. Ordovás, PhD
Senior Scientific Advisor
Senior Scientist
José Ordovás, senior scientist and lead for the Nutrition and Genomics team, also serves as senior scientific advisor to the Center Director and represents the HNRCA on the Tufts Research Council. Dr. Ordovás brings decades of scientific expertise to the role as a pioneer in the field of nutrigenomics. As Senior Scientific Advisor, he supports the community of investigators and fosters new and innovative avenues of nutrition and aging research.
Daniel Promislow, DPhil
Senior Scientist
Dr. Daniel Promislow has worked for over 30 years on the biology of aging and brings to Tufts his expertise in quantitative genetics, biodemography, and comparative, systems and theoretical biology in aging research. He is noted for his ability to combine fundamental evolutionary concepts that explain why we age, with modern systems biology approaches to better understand how we age.