You do not need to conduct research at WU, but if that is of interest to you, the following list of experienced WU faculty have expressed interest in, and are passionate about, supporting scholars in their labs. This is by no means an exhaustive list and does not guarantee that the mentor is currently available to accept students for a given summer.
If you wish to conduct research closer to home or in another desired location, we will work with you upon acceptance to identify and secure a research institution and mentor that meets your research interest.
For additional information on what to expect if accepted, please visit STEP-UP What to Expect If Accepted – NIDDK (nih.gov).
Beau M. Ances, MD, PhD
Daniel J. Brennan, MD Professor, WashU Neurology
- Email: bances@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: Alzheimer disease, HIV, neuroimaging, biomarkers
Mentor for Program(s):
KL2 Career Development Award
TL1 Predoctoral Program
TL1 Postdoctoral Program
STEP-UP (Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential)
John Beals, PhD
Instructor in Medicine, Department of Geriatrics and Nutritional Sciences
- Phone: 314-362-8199
- Fax: 314-362-8230
- Email: bealsjw@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: metabolism, exercise, muscle, sleep, liver
Kevin M Bennett, PhD
Associate Professor of Radiology
- Phone: 314-273-6888
- Email: kmbennett@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: imaging, MRI, kidney, physiology, and metabolism
Rita Brookheart, PhD
Assistant Professor
- Phone: 314-273-1213
- Email: rbrookheart@nospam.wustl.edu
Department: Medicine
Division: Nutritional Science & Obesity Medicine
Leadership Role(s):
Director, Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential (STEP UP R25)
Director, The Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases (PRIDE R25)
Mentor for Program(s):
Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential (STEP UP R25)
The Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases (PRIDE R25)
Research keywords: metabolism, skeletal, muscle, ER stress, mitochondria
Jennifer Powers Carson, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Lipid Research | Lab Director, Core Lab for Clinical Studies
- Phone: 314-273-1378
- Email: powers.jennifer.l@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: assay development, diabetes, peptides, and clinical studies
Daneil Castro, PhD
Assistant Professor, WashU Radiology
- Email: castro.d@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: opioid, obesity, diabetes, molecular biology
Daniel Ferguson, PhD
Instructor of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Sciences
- Email: dferguson@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: metabolism, obesity, diabetes, and the liver
Mary K Hastings, PT, DPT, MSCI, ATC
Professor of Physical Therapy and Orthopaedic Surgery
- Phone: 314- 286-1433
- Email: hastingsmk@nospam.wustle.du
Research keywords: physical therapy, rehabilitation, diabetes, foot, and ankle
Devesha Kulkarni, PhD
Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology
- Phone: 314-362-2670
- Email: dkulkarn@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: immunology, microbiome research, intestinal immune responses, metabolic health, and obesity
Kim Liss, MD
Instructor in Pediatrics – GI
- Phone: 314-454-6173
- Email: kim.h.liss@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: liver transplantation, acute liver injury, ischemia reperfusion injury, steatotic liver disease
Bettina Mittendorfer, PhD
Professor of Medicine, Adjunct Instructor, Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Sciences
- Email: mittendb@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: metabolism, obesity, ageing, insulin sensitivity, and beta-cell function
Sandip Mukherjee, PhD
Instructor of Medicine, Division of Nutritional Science and Obesity
- Email: sandip@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: obesity, diabetes, fatty liver diseases, adipose tissue, liver
Natalie Niemi, PhD
Assistant Professor
- Fax: 314-362-7183
- Email: niemi@nospam.wustl.edu
Department: School of Medicine
Division: Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
Mentor for Program(s):
Summer Program for the Advancement of Research Relevant NIDDK (SPARK) (STEP UP R25)
The Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases (PRIDE R25)
Research keywords: mitochondria, metabolism, phosphorylation, signaling, and mitophagy
Dolores Njoku, MD
Vice Chair; Chief of Pediatric Anesthesiology; Anesthesiologist-in-Chief at St. Louis Children’s Hospital; Professor of Anesthesiology, Pathology and Immunology
- Email: njoku@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: liver, immunology, drug-induced, NASH
David W Piston, PhD
Edward J. Mallinckrodt, Jr. Professor and Head of Cell Biology & Physiology
- Phone: 314-362-9121
- Email: piston@nospam.wustl.edu
Department: Biology and Biomedical Sciences
Division: Cell Biology & Physiology
Mentor for Program(s):
Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential (STEP UP R25)
The Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases (PRIDE R25)
Research keywords: Pancreatic islets, glucagon, hypoglycemia
Maria S Remedi, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine and Cell Biology & Physiology
- Phone: 314-362-6636
- Email: mremedi@nospam.wustl.edu
Department: Internal Medicine
Division: Endocrinology, Metabolism & Lipid Research
Research keywords: diabetes, obesity, therapy, metabolism, dietary interventions/intermittent fasting
Brigida Rusconi, PhD
Instructor, Division of Pediatrics
- Phone: 314-286-2859
- Email: b.a.rusconi@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: microbial-host interactions, gut, early life, maternal protection
Dmitri Samovski, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Sciences
- Email: dsamovski@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: insulin resistance, obesity, and exosomes
Erica Scheller, DDS, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
- Email: scheller@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: bone homeostasis, nervous system, integrative physiology, advanced imaging, diabetes, metabolic disease
Miriam Jacome-Sosa, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Sciences
- Email: mjacome@nospam.wustl.edu
Research keywords: nutrition, metabolism, obesity, lifestyle interventions, and the Latino population