My laboratory studies the role played by the SIR2 (silent information regulator) family of proteins, or sirtuins, in metabolism and disease. These proteins, which are found in mitochondria—the power plants of the cell—have been implicated in aging, metabolic diseases and cancer. Our goals are to identify and analyze the signals generated by mitochondria that contribute to aging, to pinpoint which signals are regulated by mammalian sirtuins, and to understand how related pathways regulate biological functions that decline during normal aging. Our research integrates biochemistry, proteomics, cell biology and mouse genetics, and could lead to novel therapies for a wide spectrum of human diseases.

I began my research on SIR2 while conducting postdoctoral research at MIT, after obtaining my doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I have received a number of awards for my work, including the Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar Award and the Brookdale Foundation Leadership in Aging Award. I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Paul F. Glenn Laboratories for Biological Mechanisms of Aging.