Graduate Research Opportunities
The following list summarizes some, but not all, of our active research programs. See the entire list of our department’s faculty to get a more complete description of all the ongoing research programs:
Dairy Nutrition
Research focuses on aspects of nutrition and feeding that have immediate application to the dairy industry. Current areas of research include: (1) establishment and refinement of protein and amino acid requirements, (2) characterization and evaluation of feeds, and (3) evaluation of feed additives. Our work contributes to improved accuracy of feeding standards, reduced losses of nutrients to the environment, and more efficient and profitable growth and milk production.
- Peter S. Erickson, Ph.D.
- Charles G. Schwab, Ph.D.
Immunology
Research in this area ranges from immunogenetics of retroviral and oncogenic tumor regression in chickens to the influence of immune response mechanisms on ovarian function in rats and in cattle. Topics of study include the importance of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes in tumor regression, identification of cell adhesion molecules involved in immune cell trafficking, and the role of chemotaxis in immune cell recruitment. Faculty in this specialty area include:
- Robert L. Taylor, Jr., Ph.D.
- David H. Townson, Ph.D.
Nutritional Physiology
Research focuses on the biochemical consequences of metabolism that has been altered by diet and/or exercise – at the whole animal, tissue, cellular, and subcellular levels. Humans and animal models are used in this research. Topics of study range from the cellular and subcellular changes in adipose tissue due to exercise-training, mechanisms of zinc transport across the blood-brain barrier during zinc deficiency or toxicity, influence of dietary carotenoid intake on eye health, amino acid absorption, and the role of steroid hormones in regulating adiposity and cardiovascular health.
- Dennis J. Bobilya, Ph.D.
- Gale B. Carey, Ph.D.
- Joanne Curran-Celentano, Ph.D.
- Charles G. Schwab, Ph.D.
- Anthony R. Tagliaferro, Ph.D.
Obesity and Diabetes
Research in this area focuses on the processes that lead to these 2 diseases - where fat deposition is encouraged, fat mobilization is discouraged, and insulin resistance develops. Specific projects investigate the mechanisms regulating adipose tissue lipolysis and lactate production, the role of DHEA in adiposity, and the influence of diet and exercise on adipose tissue metabolism.
- Gale B. Carey, Ph.D.
- Anthony R. Tagliaferro, Ph.D.
Reproductive Physiology
Research interests in this area focus primarily on aspects of ovarian physiology. Systemic, cellular, and molecular approaches are used to investigate fundamental questions concerning follicular growth and development (folliculogenesis), and the function of the corpus luteum. Topics of study range from the importance of matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in tissue remodeling of ovarian structures to understanding the role of the immune system in the regulation of ovarian function. Faculty in this specialty area include:
- David H. Townson, Ph.D.
- Paul C. Tsang, Ph.D.
Vascular Biology & Cardiovascular Disease
The focus of these investigations is a more complete understanding of the cellular and molecular biology that is the basis of normal vascular physiology and the disease states that affect arteries, as well as studies of transport and metabolism by the blood-brain barrier. Emphasis is on the pathology of atherosclerosis using a variety of animal models and in vitro techniques to examine endothelial cell biology, angiogenesis, and the responses of blood vessels to various metabolic, hormonal, and nutritional environments. Faculty in this specialty area include:
- Dennis J. Bobilya, Ph.D.
- Thomas L. Foxall, Ph.D.
- Samuel C. Smith, Ph.D.
- David H. Townson, Ph.D.
- Paul C. Tsang, Ph.D.
