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Program Faculty

Program Director

Jeffrey Zigman, M.D.
Jeffrey Zigman, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor

Graduate Programs: Genetics, Development and Disease & Neuroscience 

Research Interests: Gut-brain axis hormones and neuronal circuits underlying obesity, diabetes, hypoglycemia, cancer cachexia, ALS, and learning/memory

Faculty

Michalis Agathokleous, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Hematopoietic stem cell and leukemia metabolism; metabolites and the stem cell genome

Michalis Agathokleous, Ph.D.
Perry Bickel, M.D.

Associate Professor

Graduate Program: Cancer Biology

Research Interests: Diabetes, obesity, metabolic imaging, and tracer techniques

Perry Bickel, M.D.
Shawn Burgess, Ph.D.

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.
Ezra Burstein, M.D., Ph.D.

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.
Xin Cai, M.D., Ph.D.

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.
Thomas Carroll, Ph.D.

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.
Maria Chahrour, Ph.D.

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.
Haiqi Chen, Ph.D.

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.
Melanie Cobb, Ph.D.

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.
Ralph DeBeradinis, M.D., Ph.D.

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.
Russell Debose-Boyd, Ph.D.

Professor

Graduate Programs: Biological Chemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology

Research Interests: Regulation of HMG-CoA reductase and sterol metabolism

Russell Debose-Boyd, Ph.D.
Peter Douglas, Ph.D.

Associate 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.
Joel Elmquist, D.V.M., Ph.D.

Professor

Graduate Program: Neuroscience

Research Interests: Functional neuroanatomy of the mammalian hypothalamus

Joel Elmquist, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Luke Engelking, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology

Research Interests: Cholesterol and fat metabolism

Luke Engelking, M.D.
Carla Green, Ph.D.

Professor

Graduate Program: Neuroscience

Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of circadian rhythms and how they control metabolism

Carla Green, Ph.D.
Scott Grundy, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor

Graduate Program: Biological Chemistry

Research Interests: Metabolic Syndrome

Scott Grundy, M.D., Ph.D.
Joachim Herz, M.D.

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.
Joseph Hill, M.D., Ph.D.

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.
Helen Hobbs, M.D.

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.
Jay Horton, M.D.

Professor

Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology

Research Interests: Hepatic steatosis; lipid metabolism

Jay Horton, M.D.
Gerta Hoxhaj, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Cancer metabolism, nutrient signaling, protein kinases

Gerta Hoxhaj, Ph.D.
Sarah Huen, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology

Research Interests: Renal metabolism; inflammation and sepsis; acute kidney injury

Sarah Huen, M.D., Ph.D.
Rodney Infante, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology

Research Interests: Cachexia, lipid metabolism

Rodney Infante, M.D., Ph.D.
Courtney Karner, Ph.D.

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.
Steven Kliewer, Ph.D.

Professor

Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology

Research Interests: Physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology of nuclear receptors and endocrine FGF

Steven Kliewer, Ph.D.
W. Lee Kraus, Ph.D.

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.
Chen Liu, Ph.D.

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.
David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D.

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.
Samuel McBrayer, Ph.D.

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.
Berge Minassian, M.D.

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.
Prashant Mishra, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Graduate Program: Cell and Molecular Biology

Research Interests: Metabolism; mitochondrial diseases; organelle behavior and function

Prashant Mishra, M.D., Ph.D.
Felix Nitschke, Ph.D.

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.
Kathryn O’Donnell, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Research Interests: Mechanisms of tumorigenesis; Regulation and function of cell surface receptors in lung cancer pathogenesis

Kathryn O'Donnell, Ph.D.
Dayoung Oh, Ph.D.

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.
Samir M. Parikh, M.D.

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.
Arun Radhakrishnan, Ph.D.

Professor

Research Interests: Protein-lipid interactions at membrane interfaces

Arun Radhakrishnan, Ph.D.
Kartik Rajagopalan, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Influenza, COVID, Leptin, Adipose

Kartik Rajagopalan, M.D., Ph.D.
Joyce Repa, Ph.D.

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.
Danielle Robertson, O.D., Ph.D.

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.
Philipp Scherer, Ph.D.

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.
Hijai (Regina) Shin, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Lysosome biology, mTORC1 signaling, lipid metabolism and sensing, organelle communications

Hijai (Regina) Shin, Ph.D.
Ashley Solmonson, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Metabolism, Cell Fate, Development, Placenta, Pregnancy

Ashley Solmonson, Ph.D.
Joseph Takahashi, Ph.D.

Professor

Graduate Program: Neuroscience

Research Interests: Molecular and genetic analysis of the mammalian circadian clock system

Joseph Takahashi, Ph.D.
Binu Thomas, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Graduate Program: Biomedical Engineering

Research Interests:Aging, Cerebral blood flow, Cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption, Cerebrovascular physiology, Mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

Binu Thomas, Ph.D.
Dwight Towler, M.D., Ph.D.

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.
Emre Turer, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Research Interests: Forward genetics, Mucosal immunology, Host-microbe interactions, Innate immunity, Vesicle trafficking

Emre Turer, M.D., Ph.D.
Gloria Vega, Ph.D.

Professor

Graduate Program: Neuroscience

Research Interests: Mechanisms of dyslipidemia; Obesity and eating behaviors

Gloria Vega, Ph.D.
Boyuan Wang, Ph.D.

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.
Thomas Wilkie, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Graduate Programs: Cancer Biology; Genetics, Development & Disease  

Research Interests: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and energy homeostasis

Thomas Wilkie, Ph.D.
Kevin Williams, Ph.D.

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.
Shin Yamazaki, Ph.D.

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.
Jin Ye, Ph.D.

Professor

Graduate Program: Biological Chemistry

Research Interests: Lipid-mediated signaling reactions, topological regulation of transmembrane proteins, ferroptosis

Jin Ye, Ph.D.