AG1 Signs NIL Endorsement Deals With Scientists

When you think of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals, you probably picture athletes cashing in on sponsorships. But why should athletes have all the spotlight?

We believe scientists deserve the same stage. Their work is the engine behind human health, nutrition, and performance—and it deserves investment, amplification, and celebration. That’s why we’ve reimagined NIL: instead of athletes, we’re putting early-career scientists front and center.

We’re proud to announce NIL endorsement deals with three rising researchers:

• Chidera Ejikeme – Research Assistant at Brigham & Women’s Hospital studying the impact of sleep on health.
• Hannah Eberhardt – Master’s student at Florida State University focused on nutrition gaps in female athletes and tactical populations.
• Dr. Margaret Hilliard – Postdoctoral fellow at UC Davis exploring how diet and the microbiome shape health outcomes.

Each researcher received a financial grant to support their careers, alongside visibility for their work. More importantly, each represents the future of innovation in health, nutrition, and performance science.

Why We’re Doing This

Science is core to AG1. Our mission has always been about empowering people to take ownership of their health. That requires not only offering high-quality products backed by research but also investing in the very people who are defining what we know tomorrow.

When choosing these researchers, we followed a rigorous process rooted in our values:

1. Alignment with Our Mission
   We selected areas of research that advance the science of foundational health, nutrition, and wellness—work that can lead to meaningful improvements in how people live healthier, longer lives.
2. Scientific Merit and Innovation
   We sought creative, novel approaches. These researchers are asking bold questions that often slip through the cracks of traditional funding.
3. Researcher Potential
   Our aim was to empower early-career scientists. These individuals show promise as future leaders—curious, rigorous, and passionate about discovery.
4. Feasibility and Impact
   We prioritized research hypotheses that have the potential to generate actionable insights for both the scientific community and real-world applications.
5. Commitment to Integrity
   Transparency, ethics, and a commitment to sharing knowledge were non-negotiables. These values mirror our own approach to research at AG1.

Learn More About The Researchers

Chidera Ejikeme

Affiliation: Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Focus Area: Sleep and its impact on health

For Chidera, the fascination with sleep began as an undergraduate when a neurobiology course revealed just how complex and vital sleep is. From there, her research has focused on the health consequences of inadequate rest, particularly in populations under strain.

Her capstone project studied the sleep patterns of resident physicians, a group often running on limited rest while managing patient care. More recently, her work has turned toward sleep and motherhood, exploring how sleep quality and blood pressure interact in mothers and children.

One of her insights: quality sleep isn’t just about the hours you log but about your body’s ability to recover and reset. She’s also passionate about translating science into practice. For example, her advice to “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper” highlights how diet timing influences sleep quality.

Chidera also emphasizes communication. Too often, she notes, scientific insights don’t make their way into everyday practice. Her mission is to ensure that communities understand and benefit from what research reveals.

Hannah Eberhardt

Affiliation: Florida State University
Focus Area: Nutrition gaps in female athletes and tactical populations

Hannah’s research bridges the fields of sports nutrition and public health. As a master’s student, she focuses on low energy availability, the mismatch between calories consumed and calories burned, which leaves the body with too little fuel for its essential functions.

Her undergraduate research revealed that adolescent female gymnasts were under-consuming protein and carbohydrates, leaving them vulnerable to performance declines and health risks like menstrual and bone health dysfunction. Her current work extends to ROTC cadets, where she found that 40% were in a state of low energy availability. Many were also under-consuming fats and carbohydrates and experiencing poor sleep quality.

The implications are huge. Low energy availability doesn’t just affect performance; it affects long-term health. Hannah’s thesis explores how body composition, dietary habits, and energy availability intersect, with a focus on whether nutrition knowledge actually leads to better practices.

Her work reinforces a critical truth: evidence-based science is essential. Without data, she explains, we can’t create meaningful, safe recommendations for athletes or anyone striving for peak performance.

Dr. Margaret Hilliard

Affiliation: University of California, Davis
Focus Area: Diet, microbiome, and overall health

Dr. Hilliard is a computational microbiologist fascinated by the trillions of microbes that live in and on us. Her work explores how diet shapes the gut microbiome and, in turn, how microbial communities influence health.

Her research spans early-life nutrition through adult health. For example, she’s studied how sugars in human milk impact the microbiome in rural vs. urban communities, revealing differences that could shape long-term disease risk. Today, she uses machine learning to explore how diet and microbes interact to influence vitamin B12 levels in the body, work that could inform personalized nutrition strategies.

Margaret’s message is clear: supporting gut health isn’t just about probiotics. More important is feeding the microbes already in your gut with fiber-rich foods. In her words: “Eat your fruits and vegetables!”

Her perspective also highlights the broad impact of science. From our phones to our immune systems, she notes, scientific research shapes every corner of our lives. For her, the microbiome is one of the most exciting frontiers. It’s complex, essential, and bursting with potential discoveries.

Paving the Way Forward

By backing emerging researchers, AG1 is reshaping how we think about endorsement deals—and who deserves the spotlight. Chidera, Hannah, and Margaret represent the best of what’s next: curiosity, rigor, and a drive to make a real-world impact. By supporting them, we’re helping pave the way for discoveries that could benefit us all.

These endorsements are part of our ongoing investment in scientific research. Last month, we announced a new partnership with UC Davis and its Innovation Institute for Food and Health—as part of our $20M commitment to industry-leading research over the next three years and a powerful way to deepen AG1’s role, for now and in the future, at the intersection of nutrition and metabolic health.