Research and Teaching Interests
Animals are in many ways a product of their environment. Especially at the level of metabolism, where biology and chemistry meet and molecules are broken down and reassembled to meet the needs of cellular function.
In animals, mitochondria are central to the conversion of metabolites for use in the energy demanding processes required for survival and growth. Environmental characteristics, such as temperature, water availability and quality of food, influence how an animal must budget its available energy.
My research studies how external factors can influence the demands placed on physiological and biochemical systems. I am also interested in how the capacity to respond at the ‘small scale’, for example at the mitochondrial level, may influence whole animal responses to external challenge.
Ongoing Projects
- The balance between mitochondrial bioenergetics, reactive oxygen species production and consumption
- Strategies for non-lethal evaluation of wild fish population physiology and biochemical disruption
- Dietary sulfur amino acid (methionine) intake and oxidative metabolism
Graduate Student Opportunities
Highly motivated students interested in embarking on graduate level studies on i) comparative mitochondrial biochemistry or ii) the influence of environmental factors like temperature or food quality/quantity on metabolism are encouraged to contact me directly by email. Please include some details of your research interests and relevant experience.
Undergraduate Opportunities
I am always interested in discussing potential research opportunities with motivated undergraduate students.
Research Interests
Physiology, Comparative metabolic biochemistry, mitochondrial metabolism and function, nutritional modulation of physiology and energy balance, reactive oxygen species, envrionmental influences on metabolism, Representative experimental species include: teleost and elasmobranch fishes, rodent models of nutritional biochemistry, molluscs (freshwater, marine and terrestrial)