Alvaro Garcia Fuentes (A.R.) - Maastricht University

Alvaro Garcia Fuentes, MSc (A.R.)

I am a teacher at University College Venlo (UCV) and researcher at the Centre of Healthy Eating and Food Innovation (HEFI) from Maastricht University Campus Venlo.

At UCV I coordinate and teach life sciences courses focusing mainly in Food Innovation and research in the lab. I am also chair of the Education Programme Committee (EPC) and member of the Board of Admissions for the Master program Health Food Innovation Management (HFIM).

At HEFI I study food ingredients that may trigger the so called 'ileal brake'. This is a mechanism that after sensing nutrients in the ileum triggers a physiological response to reduce food intake. My main interest and focus is to develop food products that can use this mechanism to induce satiety and that can help for weight management in the long-term

Expertise

Food Innovation
Ileal brake activation through food nutrients
Long-term health effects of food nutrients
Sensory science

ORCiD ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7789-0214

Professional career history

After finishing my bachelor in Nutrition at the University of Guadalajara in my country, Mexico, I came to the Netherlands to study the Master Health Food Innovation Management in 2012.

In 2014, immediately after graduation from HFIM, I started working as research assistant in the Department of Internal Medicine at Maastricht University. A few months later, I got a position as a teacher at the newly created University College Venlo, where I became the first full-time teacher of the program.

In the last years I have dedicated my time to develop courses, teach them, and to explore new educational techniques. Recently, I continue with my research trajectorie with the goal to get my PhD in the near future.