Matthew R. Hayes

Matthew R. Hayes, PhD, is the Albert J. Stunkard Professor in Psychiatry and Vice Chair of Basic and Translational Neuroscience Research at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. His primary affiliation is the Department of Psychiatry, with a focus on molecular and neural mechanisms of psychiatric disease.

Education: PhD in Nutritional Sciences from Penn State University.

Research interests center on neuroendocrine pathways controlling food intake and body weight regulation, with specific emphasis on obesity mechanisms. His lab uses a systems-neuroscience approach to study signaling systems like GLP-1, leptin, amylin, and dopamine. Key themes include energy balance dysregulation, neuronal-glial interactions, and the role of hindbrain circuits in metabolic control.

Publications (2010-2020) consistently focus on anorectic signaling pathways, GLP-1 receptor mechanisms, and leptin's role in energy homeostasis. Recent studies highlight GDF15's nausea-related anorexia pathways and nucleus accumbens modulation of feeding behavior.

Currently accepting graduate students for Fall 2025 admissions. Lab location: TRL Building, 125 S 31st Street, Philadelphia.