RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
Our scientists use a variety of research techniques and model systems to understand now nutrient metabolism influences health and disease, bridging virtually all of the sciences which study human biology (e.g. anatomy, biochemistry, epidemiology, genetics, etc.).
Our program resides within University of Utah Health which maintains outstanding core facilities and a robust Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
Many of our faculty members maintain joint or adjunct appointments with the:
PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
The first step in obtaining entry into the NUIP Doctoral program is identifying a faculty mentor. Students must contact prospective mentors for a letter of support that expresses a willingness to support the candidate’s research and stipend. This letter will then be uploaded to the "Additional Materials" section of the FutureU portal. If your application is missing this letter of support, your application will not be reviewed and admission denied.
Once support is obtained, candidates must then be admitted by the Graduate School and the Department of Nutrition & Integrative Physiology. Applications are reviewed by the NUIP selection committee in February with notification of acceptance/non-acceptance issued by April.
To receive a code to waive the application fee, applicants must provide us with a letter of support from an identified mentor. Upload the letter to the "Additional Materials" section in the FutureU portal and send a copy of the letter to:
Fall semester admission: DECEMBER 1st
Spring or Summer semester admission: Send inquiry to the Director of Graduate Studies, Thunder Jalili thunder.jalili@utah.edu by November 15th.
Faculty Mentors
NUIP FACULTY |
RESEARCH INTERESTS |
LABORATORY |
|---|---|---|
| NUIP PRIMARY FACULTY | ||
| Boudina, Sihem, PhD | Obesity, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Insulin Resistance, Mitochondria | BOUDINA LAB |
| Chaix, Amandine, PhD | Circadian Rhythms, Circadian Clock, Dietary Interventions, Time-Restricted Feeding, Metabolism, Cardiometabolic Disease, Nutrient Sensing | CHAIX LAB |
| Funai, Katsu, PhD | Metabolism, Obesity, Diabetes, Mitochondria, Energy Efficiency, Membrane Phospholipids, Exercise, Insulin Sensitivity, Thermogenesis, Fatty-Liver Disease, Muscle, Kidney Diseases, Redox Biology, Lipid Peroxidation | FUNAI LAB |
| Holland, William, PhD | Diabetes, Adiponectin, Metabolic disease, Sphingolipids, Ceramide, Insulin Resistance, Beta Cell Failure, Metabolism, Type 2 Diabetes, Mellitus, Adipose, Adipokines, Glucose, Inflammation, Nutrition, Metabolism, Translational Research, Glucagon, Appetite, Satiety, Obesity | HOLLAND LAB |
| Jalili, Thunder, PhD | Heart, Nutrition, Flavonoids, Metabolism, Type 2 Diabetes, Vascular, Insulin Resistance | |
| Jordan, Kristine, PhD, RD | Clinical Nutrition, Dietary Assessment, Nutrition Informatics, Obesity Prevention, Pediatric Nutrition | |
| Martin, Jim, PhD | Neuromuscular function, Biomechanics, Muscular power, Fatigue, Modeling | |
| Playdon, Mary, PhD, MPH | Diet, Nutrition, Metabolism, Metabolomics, Metabolic Disease, Nutrition and Cancer Epidemiology, Dietary Intervention Trials for Cancer Prevention and Control | |
| Pon Velayutham, Anandh, PhD | Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Atherosclerosis, Vascular Disease, Dietary Flavonoids, Nutrition, Inflammation, Berry Anthocyanins, Gut Microbiome, Diet Derived Metabolites | |
| Richardson, Russ, PhD | Vascular biology, Muscle Metabolism, Aging, Age-Related Disease, and Mobility | UVRL |
| Summers, Scott, PhD | Diabetes, Dyslipidemia, Metabolic Disease, Sphingolipids, Ceramide, Insulin Resistance, Beta Cell Failure | SUMMERS LAB |
| Symons, J. David, PhD | Diabetes, Metabolic Disease, Atherosclerosis, Vascular Function, Blood Pressure, Endothelial Cell Metabolism, Autophagy, Aging, Sphingolipid Metabolism, Cell Biology, Signal Transduction, Exercise, Nutrition, Metabolism, Translational Research | |
| NUIP ADJUNCT FACULTY | ||
| Adams, Ted, PhD | Metabolic Disease, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, Bariatric Surgery, Genetics of Obesity | |
| Amann, Markus, PhD | Autonomic Control, Neuroscience, Fatigue, Cardiovascular Physiology | UVRL |
| Beddhu, Srinivasan, PhD | BEDDHU LAB | |
| Bernstein, Paul, MD, PhD | Ocular Nutrition, Carotenoids, Lipids, Noninvasive Nutritional Assessment, Global Health | BERNSTEIN LAB |
| Broxterman, Ryan, PhD | Integrative Physiology, Breast Cancer, Aging, Vascular Function, Oxidative Stress, Exercise, Oxygen Transport and Utilization, Blood Flow, Muscle Bioenergetics, Neuromuscular Function | UVRL |
| Chan, Owen, PhD | CHAN LAB | |
| Coletta, Adriana, PhD, MS, RD | Exercise and Nutrition Interventions for Cancer Prevention and Control (e.g., after a cancer diagnosis but before treatment, during cancer treatment, after cancer treatment) | |
| Donato, Anthony, PhD | Aging, Arteries, Microcirculation, Atherosclerosis, Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Genomic Instability, Novel Therapeutics | TVP LAB |
| Drakos, Stravros, PhD | DRAKOS LAB | |
| Drummond, Micah, PhD | Aging, Muscle, Rehab, Protein, Inactivity, Exercise, Metabolism, Insulin Resistance, Atrophy, Hypertrophy, Cell Singaling, Clinical | DRUMMOND LAB |
| Lai, Kent, PhD | Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEM), Therapeutic Development, Rare Diseases, Animal Models, Galactosemia, Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation (CDG), Infertility/Subfertility, Cerebellar Ataxia | PEDIATRICS LAI LAB |
| Lesniewski, Lisa, PhD | Aging, Obesity, Arteries, Atherosclerosis, Insulin Resistance, Inflammation | TVPLAB |
| Palatinus, Joseph, PhD | Gap Junction Trafficking, Connexin Biology, Sudden Cardiac Death, Mechanisms of Arrhythmias, Ischemia Reperfusion Injury, Cardiac Inflammation and Myocarditis | PALATINUS LAB |
| Rutter, Jared, PhD | Metabolic Control, Eukaryotic Mitochondrial, Cellular Behaviors, Metabolic Pathways | RUTTER LAB |
| Schlegel, Amnon, MD, PhD | Alpha Cell, Diabetes, Dyslipidemia, Energy Metabolism, Glucagon, Glucose, Metabolism, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, Nutrition, Nutrition, Metabolism, Translational Research, Transcriptional Regulation | SCHLEGEL LAB |
| Shiu, Yan-Ting, PhD | Cardiovascular Disease, Vascular Dysfunctions in Patients with Diabetes and Metabolic Disorder, Hemodialysis Vascular Access, Exercise & Aging, Hypertension, Blood Flow | SHIU LAB |
| Trinity, Joel PhD | Exercise, Vascular Function, Inactivity, Hypertension, Aging, Mitochondria, Oxidative Stress, Blood Flow, Nitric Oxide, Muscle, Rehabilitation, Redox Balance, Long-term Complications of COVID | UVRL |
| Wray, D. Walter PhD | Vascular Function, Heart Failure, Hypertension, Exercise Physiology, Autonomic Physiology, Sympathetic Nervous System, Oxidative Stress, Nitric Oxide, Blood Flow Regulation, Rehabilitative Medicine | UVRL |
| Yang, Tianxin PhD | YANG LAB | |
Note: The above faculty members may also serve as members of PhD committees
