Center Co-Director
Research Interests: Comparative Biology of Aging, Health & Lifespan
Education:
- B.A., English Literature — University of California - Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- B.S., Biology — California State University, Northridge, CA
- Ph.D., Biological Sciences — Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Bio Information:
Dr. Austad is a Distinguished Professor and Protective Life Endowed Chair in Healthy Aging Research of the Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Scientific Director of the American Federation for Aging Research. In addition, he directs the NIH-supported UAB Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, one of only six such Centers in the United States. He is also the Co-director of the Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center and serves on the Executive Committee of the National Institute on Aging’s Research Centers Collaborative Network.
Dr. Austad’s current research seeks to understand the underlying causes of aging with a long-term goal of developing medical interventions that slow the age-related decay in human health. Dr. Austad is the author of more than 200 scientific peer-reviewed publications covering nearly every aspect of aging from cells to societies. Dr. Austad is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and of the Gerontological Society of America. He has received multiple prestigious awards for his research work.