Ambre Bertholet

Ambre Bertholet, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA. Her research focuses on mitochondrial bioenergetics, particularly mechanisms controlling energy distribution between ATP production and thermogenesis. She holds a PhD from Université Paul Sabatier (France) and completed postdoctoral training at UCSF with Dr. Yuriy Kirichok.

• Education: B.S. Cell Biology (Toulouse), M.S. Gene Cells & Development, PhD Biology (Université Paul Sabatier)
• NIH Grant: Principal Investigator of R35GM143097 (2021-2026) studying mitochondrial H+ leak regulation

Research interests include mitochondrial ion transport mechanisms, UCP1-mediated thermogenesis, and metabolic regulation. Her lab uses patch-clamp techniques to study proton leak dynamics in live mitochondria. Key contributions include discovering novel H+ transport mechanisms in mitochondria and elucidating roles of UCP1 in energy expenditure.

Publications span high-impact journals like Nature, Cell, and Science, focusing on mitochondrial physiology, brown fat biology, and metabolic signaling. Awards include the 2020 Biophysical Society Young Bioenergeticist Award and multiple NIH recognitions.