Directory

Naiman Khan's directory photo.

Naiman Khan

Associate Professor

Primary Affiliation

Cognition, Lifespan Engagement, Aging, and Resilience

Affiliations

Status Affiliate Faculty

Home Department of Kinesiology and Community Health

Phone

Email nakhan2@illinois.edu

Address

  • Biography

    Dr. Naiman A. Khan is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health. He completed postdoctoral research training in Neurocognitive Kinesiology at the University of Illinois following recieving his PhD. He currently leads the body composition and Nutritional Neuroscience Laboratory. Dr. Khan has published over 80 research manuscripts and has received funding support from multiple sources including government, private corporations, and non-profit food and commodity boards.

    Education

    • B.S., Nutritional Sciences, Louisiana State University, 2006

    • M.S., Nutrional Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009

    • Ph.D., Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012

  • Research

    Khan’s research focuses on the effects of obesity and the lifestyle factors of diet and physical activity on cognitive function across the lifespan. His research takes a multidisciplinary approach to integrate knowledge in the areas of nutrition, kinesiology, and cognitive neuroscience to understand the influence of health behaviors on specific aspects of attention, memory, and achievement. The overarching objective of his research program is to generate foundational knowledge in translating the impact of health behaviors to childhood cognitive function.

  • 2021

    • Cannavale, C. N., Bailey, M., Edwards, C. G., Thompson, S. V., Walk, A. M., Burd, N. A., Holscher, H. D., & Khan, N. A. (2021). Systemic inflammation mediates the negative relationship between visceral adiposity and cognitive control. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 165, 68-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.03.010
    • Cerna, J., Anaraki, N. S. A., Robbs, C. M., Adamson, B. C., Flemming, I. R., Erdman, J. W., Labriola, L. T., Motl, R. W., & Khan, N. A. (2021). Macular Xanthophylls and Markers of the Anterior Visual Pathway among Persons with Multiple Sclerosis. The Journal of nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxab164
    • Edwards, C. G., Walk, A. M., Cannavale, C. N., Flemming, I. R., Thompson, S. V., Reeser, G. R., Holscher, H. D., & Khan, N. A. (2021). Dietary choline is related to neural efficiency during a selective attention task among middle-aged adults with overweight and obesity. Nutritional Neuroscience, 24(4), 269-278. https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2019.1623456