Dr. Anandh Babu Pon Velayutham is the Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition & Integrative Physiology. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Madras and completed postdoctoral training at Virginia Tech. He joined the faculty at the University of Utah in 2012 and is committed to promoting academic excellence while advancing institutional goals in education and research.  

Velayutham's lab explores how dietary approaches can prevent cardiovascular complications as well as the impact of gut microbes on human health and disease. Specifically, he studies how gut microbes contribute to the metabolism of dietary components and how metabolome-microbiome interactions affect the gut-vascular axis. His basic and translational research is funded by grants from the NIH and USDA/NIFA. He was named a Research Honoree for his research accomplishments at ‘Celebrate U!: A Showcase of Extraordinary Faculty Achievements’. Velayutham has mentored 50 trainees at the University of Utah. His mentees have achieved remarkable accomplishments, including outstanding researcher awards, research scholarships, travel awards, a predoctoral fellowship, and acceptance to medical schools.   

Velayutham teaches graduate-level courses and has received 5 teaching awards over the past 6 years (2021 to 2026), including the University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award. He was selected as a Fellow of the University of Utah Academy of Health Science Educators in 2024 for outstanding accomplishments in health science education.