Awardees

As part of its mission the UAB NSC offers pilot/feasibility grants awarded annually on a competitive basis to scientists with research focus on aging.

Current Awardees

Robert Mankowski, Ph.D. & Peter Morris, M.D.

Project: "Senescence as a link to a chronic bioenergetic dysfunction in the critical illness-induced physical function loss and the effect of age"Associate Professor, UAB Medicine- Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care (Mankowski) and Professor, UAB Medicine-Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care (Morris)
Mohamed Khass, Ph.D.

Project: "The influence of progenitor B cell product, λ5 on Mesenchymal stem cell aging and fate determination"Assistant Professor, UAB School of Dentistry, Department of Orthodontics
Christopher Wiley, Ph.D.

Project: "Assessment of cell-free mitochondrial DNA in CALERIE study participants"Scientist II/Assistant Professor, Tufts University, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging

Previous Awardees

Year 9
- Victoria Gibbs, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Evaluating the freshwater crustacean, Daphnia pulex, as an alternative, short-lived animal model of healthspan and aging”Associate Professor, UAB Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Science
- Melissa Harris, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Investigating the potential of the small molecule RT175 in regulating mitochondrial function to impact aging”Associate Professor, UAB Department of Biology
- Hongying Wang, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Ghrelin receptor in microglia mediates the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease in an age-dependent manner”Postdoctoral Fellow, Texas A&M University, Department of Nutrition
Year 8
- Jarrod Barnes, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “O-Linked N-Acetylglucosamine Regulates Aging Hallmarks in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”Associate Professor, UAB, Department of Medicine - Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care
- Stefanie Krick, M.D., Ph.D.
  
  Project: “The Cystic Fibrosis Airways – establishing a novel in vitro and in vivo model to study the biology of aging in the lung”Associate Professor, UAB, Department of Medicine-Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care
- Manuel Rosa-Garrido, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Role of chromatin structure in mediating the pathological effects of cardiac aging”Assistant Professor, UAB, Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Keshav Singh, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Establishing mitochondrial dysfunction as a hallmark of ovarian aging”Professor, UAB, Department of Genetics, Research Division
- Daniel Tyrrell, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Determining cytotoxic T cell phenotype and function in the aging brain”Assistant Professor, UAB, Department of Pathology - Molecular and Cellular
- Sara Casado Zapico, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Development of the first epigenetic clock in tooth tissues. Towards a better understanding of tooth aging”Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Year 7
- Martha Field, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Impact of B12 deficiency on skeletal muscle mitochondrial DNA and function in advanced age”Assistant Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Teresa Liu, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Mitochondrial dysfunction leads to dysregulation of the Krebs cycle in BPH/LUTS”Assistant Scientist, University of Wisconsin, Department of Urology, Madison This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Anna Thalacker-Mercer, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Impact of B12 deficiency on skeletal muscle mitochondrial DNA and function in advanced age”Assistant Professor, UAB Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Year 6
- Eugene Becker, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Aging-Associated Lung Fibrosis: Epithelial Bioenergetics and Regeneration”Postdoctoral Fellow, UAB Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Abbi Hernandez, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Impact of Regional Microbiome Specificity on Age- and Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Metabolic Impairment”Postdoctoral Trainee, UAB Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology, Geriatric and Palliative Care This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Deepa Satyaseelan, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “The Role of Necroptosis on the Levels of Circulating Cell-Free mtDNA in Aging”Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Year 5
- Stanislava Chtarbanova, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Bioenergetics of virus infection in aged Drosophila”Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Eric P. Plaisance, Ph.D., FACSM
  
  Project: “Role of an exogenous ketone ester on histone deacetylase (HDAC) expression and age-related skeletal muscle loss”Associate Professor and Chair, UAB Department of Human Studies This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Debasish Sinha, Ph.D. & Jennifer Salvitti Davis, M.D.
  
  Project: “Linking metabolic changes to neutrophil activation in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)”Chair in Ophthalmology | Professor of Ophthalmology, UAB College of Arts and Sciences
  Cell Biology and Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Josh Stern, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Gene Expression Changes from Telomere Shortening and the Impact on Oxidative Stress”Assistant Professor, Department of Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Michael Stout, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Mechanisms of metabolic, inflammatory, and healthspan enhancement by 17alpha-estradiol”Assistant Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, The University of Oklahoma Health Science Center This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Year 4
- Melissa Harris, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Using melanocyte stem cells to address the role of quiescence in reduced stem cell function with age”Assistant Professor, UAB College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Dudley William Lamming, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Regulation of central metabolism by calories and fasting”Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Research Health Scientist, William S. Middleton
  VA Memorial Hospital Lab Website
- Merry-Lynn McDonald, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Mitochondrial Function, Sarcopenia and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)”Assistant Professor, UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary/Allergy/Critical Care This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Orian Shirihai, M.D., Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Testing the methods for measuring mitochondrial function in frozen-thawed mononuclear cells and platelets”Professor of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine
  UCLA About the UCLA Metabolism Theme
- Quihong Li, Ph.D. | Patricia Jumbo-Lucioni, M.D., Ph.D
  
  Shared Project: “Establishing the methodological basis for a high throughput screening of genetically modified probiotics in aging and Alzheimer’s disease models”Associate Professor, Department of Physiology & Functional Genomics and Department of Pharmacodynamics
  University of Florida | Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences
  McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Samford University Faculty Website: Quihong Li Faculty Website: Patricia Jumbo-Lucioni
Year 3
- Karthikeyani Chellappa, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “NAD metabolism and Aging: Impact on the composition of the gut microbiome”Postdoctoral Fellow, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
  Department of Physiology, Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Helen E. Collins, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Dysregulation of local calcium signaling increases risk of diabetic cardiomyopathy in the aging female heart”Postdoctoral Fellow, UAB Heersink School of Medicine
  Department of Pathology, Division of Molecular & Cellular Pathology This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Dao-Fu Dai, MD, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress in Kidney Aging and Chronic Kidney Diseases”Assistant Professor, University of Iowa Health Care
  Department of Pathology This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Amit Hagar, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Endurance Training and Alzheimer’s Disease Progression–Evidence and Mechanisms”Professor and Chair, Indiana University Bloomington
  Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine
  Adjunct - Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Intelligent Systems Engineering, Environmental Health This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Scott Phillips, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Muc5B Overexpression Increases Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis”Scientist I, UAB Heersink School of Medicine
  Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Year 2
- Thomas Buford, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Role of the Gut Microbiome in Inflammation of Aging”Associate Professor, UAB Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology/Geriatrics/Palliative Care This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Nicole C. Riddle, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Altered metabolism in a chromatin mutant”Assistant Professor, UAB College of Arts and Sciences
  Department of Biology This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Michael Sandel, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Toward a personalized bioenergetic health index: accounting for heredity and life history using structural mtDNA variants”Assistant Professor, The University West Alabama College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
  Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Year 1
- Karen Bernard, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “NADPH oxidase 4 control of metabolic reprogramming and its implication in apoptosis resistance of senescent lung fibroblasts”Assistant Professor, UAB Heersink School of Medicine Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Peggy Biga, Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Long-term treatment with Teneurin C-terminal Associated Peptide (TCAP) improves metabolic efficiency and aging pathologies by regulating glucose metabolism and energy output”Assistant Professor, UAB College of Arts and Sciences
  Department of Biology This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Liou Y. Sun, M.D., Ph.D.
  
  Project: “Environmental temperature, GH signaling and energy metabolism of healthy aging”Assistant Professor, UAB College of Arts and Sciences
  Department of Biology This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.