Associate Professor, University of Kentucky
Hevolution/AFAR New Investigator Awards in Aging Biology and Geroscience Research - 2022
What inspired you to pursue aging research?
I have always had a natural curiosity about the way things work which inspired me to pursue a career in biology. During graduate school, I became fascinated by the theories of aging and developed a connection with a mentor who was highly involved in aging research. These, in combination, steered me down a career in aging biology.
In your view, what does AFAR mean to the field, and what does it mean for you to receive an AFAR grant now?
AFAR is critical to the field of aging research. They not only generate and provide funds for research, but are a source of information to both the scientific and lay communities. I am very humbled to be the recipient of a Hevolution/AFAR New Investigator Award in Biology and Geroscience Research. These funds will allow me to strengthen the backbone of my research on aging.
What is exciting about your research’s potential impact?
My research is exciting because it uncovers a unique mechanism related to chronic inflammation. As chronic inflammation underlies numerous age-related dysfunctions, its resolution could be the key to reducing the burden of aging.
How would you describe your research to a non-scientist?
My research investigates unique cells that reside in fat tissue, how these cells change as people grow older, and how those changes contribute to age-related disease.
