Meng (Gemma) Zhao, Ph.D.

All organisms are facing a rapidly changing world. By learning more about how organisms respond to changes, we can better protect them and understand ourselves.

I study the behavior and physiology of small rodents, including both laboratory and ecologically relevant models, to explore the mechanisms underlying their adaptations to environmental challenges. My laboratory integrates approaches from ethology, physiology, and cellular and molecular biology to address these key questions:

• Organ crosstalk:
  How does organ crosstalk help to maintain metabolic homeostasis?
• Variations in life history:
  What are the physiological consequences of variations in life history among species?
• Response to challenges:
  How to identify natural mechanisms for protection against environmental
  challenges?