Committee on Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition

Chair

Matthew Brady

Professors

Maria-Luisa Alegre, Medicine
George Bakris, Medicine
Graeme Bell, Medicine
Antonio Bianco, Medicine
Deborah Burnet, Medicine
Eugene Chang, Medicine
Alexander Chervonsky, Pathology
Anita Chong, Surgery
Suzanne Conzen, Medicine
Anna DiRienzo, Human Genetics
David Ehrmann, Medicine
Murray Favus, Medicine
Godfrey Getz, Pathology (Emeritus)
Bana Jabri, Medicine
James Liao, Medicine
Kay Macleod, Ben May Department for Cancer Research
J. Michael Millis, Surgery
Cathryn Nagler, Pathology
Deborah Nelson, Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences
Louis Philipson, Medicine
Vivek Prachand, Surgery
Eve Van Cauter, Medicine
Yingming Zhao, Ben May Department for Cancer Research
Xiaoxi Zhuang, Department of Neurobiology

Associate Professors

Marc Bissonnette, Medicine
Matthew Brady, Medicine
Ronald Cohen, Medicine
Yan Chun Li, Medicine
Jeremy Marks, Pediatrics
Silvana Pannain, Medicine
Esra Tasali, Medicine

Assistant Professors

Lev Becker, Ben May Department for Cancer Research
Eunice Chen, Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience
Dianne Deplewski, Pediatrics
Alexandra Dumitrescu, Medicine
Daria Esterhazy, Pathology
Yun Fang, Medicine

Research Associate (Professor)

Catherine Reardon Alulis, Pathology

Research Associate (Assistant Professor)

Mark Musch, Medicine

The Committee on Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition is a dynamic and interactive research unit of the University of Chicago offering interdisciplinary doctoral training in the molecular basis of biological processes as they relate to nutrition and human disease. The graduate program in molecular metabolism and nutrition offers a program of study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition. Faculty expertise includes the areas of insulin secretion, diabetes genetics, nutritional regulation of epithelial cell biology, intestinal absorption, adaptation, and malabsorption, water/nutrient/electrolyte transport, nutriceuticals, atherogenesis, abnormalities in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism, vitamin D research, insulin metabolic signaling, transcription factors and adipogenesis, impact of nutrition on reproductive biology, glucocorticoid action and sleep research. A mixture of nationally recognized senior faculty and dynamic junior faculty provide a stimulating and supportive environment designed to guide graduate students through course work and research training. Major resources include transgenic mouse facilities, flow cytometry, microscope imaging suites, microarray and gene chip facilities, computational labs and facilities for human research. The committee works closely with the government sponsored Diabetes Research and Training Center, Digestive Disease Research Core Center, Training Program in Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, and the Clinical Research Center to offer a broad array of choices for research topics.

The Committee on Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition is a member of the Biomedical Sciences Cluster, which also includes graduate programs from the Committee on Cancer Biology, the Committee on Immunology, and the Committee on Microbiology. The four academic units share several common courses, a seminar series, and additional common events for students and faculty within the cluster. The goal of the cluster system is to encourage interdisciplinary interactions among both trainees and faculty, and to allow students flexibility in designing their particular course of study.

Admission

Students interested in obtaining the Ph.D. in Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition should submit an application to the Biological Sciences Division by December 1st of each year; indicate their cluster of interest as Biomedical Sciences and select Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition as their proposed degree program.

The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Ph.D. requirements include:

Completion of 9 course credits consisting of basic science, metabolism and elective courses.
A preliminary exam in the form of a mock NIH-style grant proposal.
A dissertation based on original research.
A final thesis examination.