Lora Heisler

Professor Lora Heisler is the Chair in Human Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition. She is also Director of Research at the Rowett Institute and a member of the Aberdeen Cardiovascular and Diabetes Centre. Her research focuses on brain circuits regulating energy homeostasis, metabolism, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. She holds a PhD from Tufts University (1997) and has held postdoctoral positions at UC San Francisco and Harvard Medical School. She relocated her lab to Aberdeen in 2014 to leverage the Rowett Institute’s obesity research expertise.

Her research interests include identifying therapeutic targets for obesity and diabetes through studies on serotonin and GLP-1 signaling pathways. She leads the MOOMIN Lab, which investigates mechanisms of obesity, insulin sensitivity, and nutrition. Key achievements include groundbreaking discoveries on serotonin receptor therapeutic mechanisms and the role of GPR75 in metabolic disorders. Her work is funded by BBSRC, MRC, Diabetes UK, and the Wellcome Trust.

Recent awards include the Outstanding Scientific Achievement Awards from the American Diabetes Association and Obesity Society. She advises multiple students and collaborates on international conferences, including co-organizing the 2026 Keystone Conference on Obesity Therapeutics. Her lab includes postdocs like Dr Aurelio Franco Garcia and students such as Imogen McMichael, with notable contributions to understanding brain circuits regulating appetite and metabolism.