Michael Salinas

Michael Salinas is a postdoctoral research fellow at Texas A&M University's Chapkin Lab & Single Cell Data Science Core within the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. His work bridges nutrition science with cancer biology and biophysics.

Education

• B.S., Texas A&M University, Nutritional Sciences, 2016
• Ph.D., Texas A&M University, Nutrition, 2022

Research Focus

His research explores how dietary factors influence disease mechanisms through plasma membrane biophysical changes. Graduate work focused on high-fat diet-induced obesity and colorectal cancer via membrane dysregulation. Current postdoctoral projects analyze human milk oligosaccharides' impact on infant gut health using single cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics.

Scientific Awards

• NSF LSAMP BTD Fellowship (2016-2018)
• Hagler Institute HEEP Graduate Fellowship (2021)

Technical Expertise

Specializes in plasma membrane biophysics, macropinocytosis, nanocluster formation, and cell-cell communication analysis. Utilizes advanced techniques like imaging flow cytometry and spatial transcriptomics to decode dietary influences on cellular signaling.