Research Focus:

Appropriate allocation of cellular lipid stores is paramount to maintaining organismal energy homeostasis and is coordinated by a network of multi-tissue endocrine signals. Dysregulation of these pathways can manifest in human metabolic syndromes, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. The goal of my lab is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that govern the storage, metabolism, and intercellular transport of lipids; as well as understand how these circuits interface with other cellular homeostatic pathways (e.g., growth and aging). We utilize C. elegans as a model system tointerrogate these evolutionarily conserved pathways, combining genetic approaches with genomic methodologies to identify new components and mechanisms of metabolic regulation. Our work encompasses these three research areas:

1. How do pro-growth signaling pathways govern lipid homeostasis?

2. What are the transcriptional regulators that control metabolic trade-offs?

3. How do gut microbiota alter host metabolism and the aging process?

Available Positions:

We are looking for motivated undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers that are interested in cellular signaling, metabolism, and aging.  If you are interested in joining our group please visit the Positions page.