Psychology professor A. Janet Tomiyama appointed the Marcie H. Rothman Presidential Chair in Food Studies

During her five-year appointment she will also serve as faculty director of the Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies.

By Kayla McCormack

November 4, 2026

Janet Tomiyama, professor of psychology, has been named the Marcie H. Rothman Presidential Chair in Food Studies. During her five-year term she will also serve as faculty director of the UCLA Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies (RFI), where she will lead interdisciplinary academic and research efforts.

“We can’t solve our most pressing food-related challenges through nutritional science or technological innovation alone,” Tomiyama said. “We also need to understand human psychology, culture, and behavior. That’s the perspective I hope to bring to RFI, working alongside scholars from across disciplines to develop solutions that are scientifically sound, and that people can embrace.”

Tomiyama has dedicated over 20 years to researching why we eat what we eat. Her evidence-based approach brings a fresh perspective to some of the most emotionally charged issues in public health. She is the director of the Diet, Stigma, and Health (DiSH) Lab, where she explores questions around weight stigma, comfort eating, plant-based eating and alternative proteins, and food insecurity. Her findings have reshaped public health discussions by challenging the clinical use of BMI and demonstrating the biological impacts of weight discrimination.

 

She received the prestigious Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions from the Association for Psychological Science, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, and BBC News. She also currently serves as co-lead of the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative (HCI) ResearchWell Pod.

 

Tomiyama is also dedicated to student development and has been recognized for teaching and mentorship with the Distinguished Teaching Award from the UCLA Department of Psychology, the Life Sciences Excellence in Promotion of Diversity & Inclusion Faculty Award, the Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award, and the Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring, among others.

 

“Tomiyama is an exceptional scholar whose research challenges assumptions on how we understand health, culture, and human behavior,” said Dean and Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education Adriana Galván. “Her ability to combine scientific rigor with compassion will bring tremendous value to RFI.”

 

Tomiyama will work closely with RFI Executive Director Jack Bobo, who has served in his role since 2024. She envisions RFI as a space where food helps heal some of the divisions and challenges facing our world, tackles structural challenges in food systems like sustainability and food insecurity, and restores joy and connection to food through community programming. Read more about Tomiyama’s priorities and goals as faculty director in this Q&A.

 

“I couldn’t be more excited to work alongside Professor Tomiyama,” Bobo said. “Her research on weight stigma and food choices shows how much emotion and identity shape the way we eat. That insight sits at the heart of what RFI is trying to do: foster better conversations about food that lead to better outcomes. With her leadership, we can build stronger bridges across UCLA and give our students more ways to engage with the hardest questions in food studies.”

 

Tomiyama succeeds inaugural faculty director Amy Rowat, a professor of integrative biology and physiology whose research explores cultured and cellular agriculture. Rowat played a foundational role in establishing RFI, hiring Bobo, and expanding faculty and community partnerships, including by hosting public events in partnership with organizations including the Hammer Museum and the Los Angeles Times Food Bowl. She created the UCLA Food Collective, building on her work with the UCLA Science&Food nonprofit and as co-lead of the HCI Eatwell Pod.

 

Learn more about the Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies.