Elizabeth R. Gilbert
- Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Animal Nutrition, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
210 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0306
USA
I transferred to Virginia Tech from Piedmont Virginia Community College in 2000. I earned a B.S. in Wildlife Science in 2003, M.S. in Animal Science in 2005, and Ph.D. in Animal Science in 2008, all from Virginia Tech. My thesis and dissertation projects focused on molecular and cellular aspects of nutrition and gastrointestinal physiology in black bears (M.S.) and chickens (Ph.D.). I then completed two postdoctoral projects at Virginia Tech, one involving cellular mechanisms of anti-diabetic plant compounds, in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise (2008-2009), and one in nutritional proteomics in Animal Science (2009-2010), before moving to Uppsala, Sweden, to complete a postdoctoral appointment in comparative genomics (elucidating the functions of a newly discovered transcription factor) in the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology (2010-2011). I assumed a tenure-track position at Virginia Tech in Animal Science in 2011, with a research-intensive appointment, and achieved the ranks of Associate Professor (2016) and Professor (2022). In 2024, I joined the School of Neuroscience as a Collegiate Professor where my appointment has shifted to focus on endeavors related to my passions in undergraduate recruitment, research, and education.
My research interests relate to nutritional and molecular aspects of metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. I am particularly interested in the brain-adipose tissue axis, and crosstalk between appetite-associated areas in the hypothalamus and energy-storing adipocytes in adipose tissue. In collaboration with Dr. Mark Cline (School of Neuroscience) and Dr. Dongmin Liu (Human Nutrition), our lab has focused on molecular and cellular aspects and intersections of appetite regulation, metabolism, and stress. Current projects include elucidating the anti-diabetic mechanisms of nutraceuticals in mammalian and avian models, and mechanisms of appetite dysregulation in response to early-life stressor exposure in avian models of anorexia and obesity. We have demonstrated that long-term effects of early-life stressors are linked to epigenetic changes affecting expression of genes that encode factors in key hypothalamic metabolic and stress pathways, and pathways in adipose tissue that reflect cellular remodeling and alterations in energy storage. Understanding these mechanisms will lead to novel, improved strategies to treat diabetes and improve metabolic health.
See Dr. Gilbert's Google Scholar here