Program Faculty
Program Director
Faculty
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Hematopoietic stem cell and leukemia metabolism; metabolites and the stem cell genome
![Michalis Agathokleous, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/agathokleous-michalis-127492-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Graduate Program: Cancer Biology
Research Interests: Diabetes, obesity, metabolic imaging, and tracer techniques
![Perry Bickel, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/bickel-perry-87331-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Biomedical Engineering
Research Interests: NMR spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy in conjunction with the application of stable isotope tracers to study metabolic function
![Shawn Burgess, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/burgess-shawn-46213-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Programs: Immunology; Genetics, Development & Disease
Research Interests: Molecular control of inflammatory responses in the intestine, inflammation and cancer progression, regulation of NF-kB activity, COMM.D. proteins
![Ezra Burstein, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/burstein-ezra-30394-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Graduate Programs: Cell & Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Signal transduction, mitochondria function, cell growth and proliferation, cancer metabolism
![Xin Cai, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/cai-xin-109618-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Programs: Biomedical Engineering; Genetics, Development & Disease
Research Interests: Cancer, cell polarity, developmental biology, morphogenesis, stem/progenitor cells, tissue engineering and regeneration
![Thomas Carroll, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/carroll-thomas-71127-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Graduate Programs: Neuroscience; Genetics, Development & Disease
Research Interests: Genetics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD); molecular mechanisms underlying ASD; the ubiquitin proteasome pathway in neurodevelopmental disorders
![Maria Chahrour, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/chahrour-maria-159554-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Graduate Program: Genetics, Development and Disease
Research Interests: Spatial and functional genomics and epigenomics, single-cell genomics and epigenomics, computational genomics, high resolution imaging, mammalian spermatogenesis, human fertility and reproduction
![Haiqi Chen, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/chen-haiqi-206966-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Programs: Cancer Biology; Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Function and regulation of protein kinases in signal transduction pathways in breast cancer
![Melanie Cobb, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/cobb-melanie-11375-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Programs: Cancer Biology; Genetics, Development & Disease
Research Interests: Metabolic pathways that support tumor cell growth and exploiting tumor metabolism to improve imaging and therapy in cancer
![Ralph DeBeradinis, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/deberardinis-ralph-99018-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Programs: Biological Chemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Regulation of HMG-CoA reductase and sterol metabolism
![Russell Debose-Boyd, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/debose-boyd-russell-34046-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Graduate Programs: Genetics, Development & Disease; Neuroscience
Research Interests: Intracellular lipid surveillance and metabolic stress in age and traumatic brain injury
![Peter Douglas, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/douglas-peter-162321-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Neuroscience
Research Interests: Functional neuroanatomy of the mammalian hypothalamus
![Joel Elmquist, D.V.M., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/elmquist-joel-80436-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Cholesterol and fat metabolism
![Luke Engelking, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/engelking-luke-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Neuroscience
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of circadian rhythms and how they control metabolism
![Carla Green, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/green-carla-111376-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Biological Chemistry
Research Interests: Metabolic Syndrome
![Scott Grundy, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/grundy-scott-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Neuroscience
Research Interests: Brain development and Alzheimer's Disease; lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis; physiological functions of the LDL receptor gene family
![Joachim Herz, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/herz-joachim-13165-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Molecular signaling processes in cardiac hypertrophy and failure; mechanisms of structural, functional, and electrophysiological remodeling, using genetic and surgical mice models
![Joseph Hill, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/hill-joseph-57069-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Genetics, Development and Disease
Research Interests: Identification of genetic factors contributing to inter-individual differences in the concentration of lipid levels in tissues
![Helen Hobbs, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/hobbs-helen-13232-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Hepatic steatosis; lipid metabolism
![Jay Horton, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/horton-jay-13320-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Cancer metabolism, nutrient signaling, protein kinases
![Gerta Hoxhaj, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/hoxhaj-gerta-187125-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Renal metabolism; inflammation and sepsis; acute kidney injury
![Sarah Huen, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/huen-sarah-173376-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Cachexia, lipid metabolism
![Rodney Infante, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/infante-rodney-61564-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Graduate Program: Genetics, Development and Disease
Research Interests: Amino acid metabolism, bone development, osteoporosis, stem/progenitor cells, fracture healing and regeneration
![Courtney Karner, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/karner-courtney-59762-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology of nuclear receptors and endocrine FGF
![Steven Kliewer, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/kliewer-steven-54583-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Genetics, Development and Disease
Research Interests: Cellular signaling, gene regulation, and epigenetic control in the chromatin environment of the nucleus; biological systems include: reproduction, cancer, inflammation, adipogenesis, stem cells, differentiation
![Lee Kraus, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/kraus-william-113583-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Graduate Program: Neuroscience
Research Interests: Antipsychotic drug-induced metabolic syndrome; Central and peripheral serotonin systems in energy and glucose metabolism; Fetal programming of metabolic health, New genetic factors behind human obesity
![Chen Liu, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/liu-chen-121839-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Mechanism of nuclear hormone receptor action; role of retinoids in cancer; transcriptional regulation of lipid metabolism
![David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/mangelsdorf-david-14570-380x380.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Graduate Programs: Cancer Biology; Genetics, Development & Disease
Research Interests: Nitrogen metabolism, crosstalk between the metabolome and epigenome, metabolic mechanisms of tumor initiation, synthetic lethality, glioma biology, CRISPR/Cas9-based mouse models of cancer
![Samuel McBrayer, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/mcbrayer-samuel-186755-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Programs: Genetics, Development & Disease; Neuroscience
Research Interests: Understanding the molecular basis of glycogen malformation in the fatal Lafora epilepsy and devising gene and small-molecule based therapies for this and other childhood neurogenetic disorders
![Birge Minassian, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/minassian-berge-163575-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Metabolism; mitochondrial diseases; organelle behavior and function
![Prashant Mishra, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/mishra-prashant-45573-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Regulatory mechanisms impacting structure, function and location of glycogen; Molecular consequences of glycogen storage diseases; Development of treatment strategies on molecular basis of the disease pathogenesis; Engineering proteins for improved Gene Therapy
![Felix Nitschke, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/nitschke-felix-187920-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Mechanisms of tumorigenesis; Regulation and function of cell surface receptors in lung cancer pathogenesis
![Kathryn O'Donnell, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/odonnell-mendell-kathryn-125383-200x200a.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Uncover insights into GPCR signal transduction and its physiological function in various metabolic disease models; Development of tool compounds targeted GPCRs and validate the effects as new therapeutic regimen
![Dayoung Oh, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/oh-dayoung-171981-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Energy metabolism in the kidney, mechanisms of aging and resilience to acute stressors | vascular biology
![Samir M. Parikh, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/parikh-samir-202716-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Protein-lipid interactions at membrane interfaces
![Arun Radhakrishnan, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/radhakrishnan-arun-57962-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Influenza, COVID, Leptin, Adipose
![Kartik Rajagopalan, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/rajagopalan-kartik-81190-200x200.png)
Associate Professor
Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Bile acids, cholesterol; diabetes; lipidomics; LXR, FXR, PXR, beta-cell, islet
![Joyce Repa, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/repa-joyce-30229-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Programs: Cell and Molecular Biology; Immunology
Research Interests: Epithelial cell biology, cornea, ocular surface, dry eye, Sjogren’s syndrome, diabetes, exosomes, corneal neuropathy, infectious disease
![Danielle Robertson, O.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/robertson-danielle-54987-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Identification and physiological characterization of novel secretory proteins that serve as potential links between the adipocyte and the processes of whole body energy homeostasis; inflammation and cancer; beta cell biology
![Philipp Scherer, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/scherer-philipp-92752-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Lysosome biology, mTORC1 signaling, lipid metabolism and sensing, organelle communications
![Hijai (Regina) Shin, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/shin-hijai-regina-220057-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Metabolism, Cell Fate, Development, Placenta, Pregnancy
![Ashley Solmonson, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/solmonson-ashley-168071-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Neuroscience
Research Interests: Molecular and genetic analysis of the mammalian circadian clock system
![Joseph Takahashi, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/takahashi-joseph-105885-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Genetics, Development and Disease
Research Interests: Cardiovascular Wnt / LRP Signaling; Protein Arginine Methylation / Deimination Signal Relays; Arteriosclerosis and renovascular fibrosis in type 2 diabetes
![Dwight Towler, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/towler-dwight-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Forward genetics, Mucosal immunology, Host-microbe interactions, Innate immunity, Vesicle trafficking
![Emre Turer, M.D., Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/turer-emre-110486-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Neuroscience
Research Interests: Mechanisms of dyslipidemia; Obesity and eating behaviors
![Gloria Vega, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/vega-gloria1.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Mechanisms by which starvation leads to persistence in bacteria; Identifying new regulatory metabolite-RNA and metabolite-protein interactions; Peptide synthesis and protein semi-synthesis
![Boyuan Wang, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/wang-boyuan-203119-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Graduate Programs: Cancer Biology; Genetics, Development & Disease
Research Interests: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and energy homeostasis
![Thomas Wilkie, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/wilkie-thomas-17960-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Graduate Program: Neuroscience
Research Interests: Understanding at a cellular level the neural of control energy balance as well as glucose metabolism, and elucidating how these events may participate in human disease
![Kevin Williams, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/williams-kevin-84696-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Circadian Physiology; Feeding and Light Entrainment of the Circadian System; Live Cell/Tissue Real-Time Imaging; Mouse Models for Human Disorders Caused by Disruption/Disorganization/Misalignment of the Circadian System; Neural Circuit Controlling Feeding and Locomotor Activity Rhythms; Pacemaker Coupling
![Shin Yamazaki, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/yamazaki-shin-149648-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Graduate Program: Biological Chemistry
Research Interests: Lipid-mediated signaling reactions, topological regulation of transmembrane proteins, ferroptosis
![Jin Ye, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/ye-jin-18230-200x200.jpg)