Energy metabolism; calorie restriction and nutritional modulation of aging, obesity and body weight regulation in humans; body composition, dietary intake capture methodology.
Senior Scientist, Nutrition, Exercise Physiology, and Sarcopenia Team
Impact of exercise and physical activity on successful human aging; skeletal muscle alterations with advancing age in disabled and non-disabled populations; and age-related alterations in the control of skeletal muscle protein turnover
Senior Scientist, Obesity and Metabolism Team, Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Professor of Metabolism and Nutrition
Etiology of obesity and its complications; the role of inflammation in metabolic disorders and the regulation of adipocyte metabolism, inulin resistance, and diabetes
Diet patterns and diet quality, protein, hydration, and B vitamins and their relation to healthy aging assessed through maintenance of physical function, and cardiometabolic health and cognitive health
Nutritional and hormonal regulation of the expression of genes involved in lipoprotein metabolism. Omega-3 fatty acids, inflammation and cardiometabolic risk.
Nutrition and cardiovascular disease, dietary fatty acids, cholesterol and bile acid metabolism, fatty acid and lipoprotein kinetics, sphingolipids, plant sterols, glycemic index
Computational Biologist, Nutrition and Genomics Team
To understand how the human genome and its numerous genetic polymorphisms interpret the lifestyle of the individual – diet and physical activity among others – in ways that affect risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity. This is done with computational tools and databases, with a goal of describing factors pertinent to personalized nutrition.
Dietary, behavioral and cultural determinants of body fatness, and development of behavioral programs for weight loss and prevention of weight regain. In addition, new formulations of foods for prevention and treatment of malnutrition across the lifecycle, in particular to reduce susceptibility to obesity and improve cognition.
The role of the dietary glycemia in the development of age-related macular degeneration and its role in aging, metabolism and microbiome. Discovery of networks that involve diet, multiple metabolites and the microbiome. Role of the ubiquitin proteolysis pathway in regulating lens development and differentiation. Elucidation of molecular mechanisms that direct lens fiber cell denucleation
Defining the function of specific ubiquitinating enzymes in regulation of cell division and differentiation in lens and retina cells/tissues; determining roles for the ubiquitin pathway in recognition and removal of damaged proteins
Characterization of neural stem cells that may be appropriate as therapeutic sources as well as in vivo and in vitro bioassays to test the role of nutritional supplements in maintaining brain health and preventing age-related neurological diseases.
