Robert Chapkin

Robert Chapkin is the Allen Endowed Chair in Nutrition & Chronic Disease Prevention and holds academic ranks including Professor, Regents Professor, and University Faculty Fellow at Texas A&M University. His primary affiliation is within the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Department of Nutrition. He is an NIH/NCI R35 Outstanding Investigator Awardee and AAAS Fellow, recognized for pioneering work in cancer chemoprevention and systems biology-based methodologies.

Education:

• BSc in Nutrition and Biochemistry, University of Guelph (1981)
• MSc in Nutrition, University of Guelph (1983)
• PhD in Nutrition and Physiological Chemistry, UC Davis (1986)
• Postdoc in Cell Biology, UC Davis (1986-1988)

Research Focus: Dr. Chapkin specializes in dietary chemoprevention of colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases, and the role of membrane biology and nuclear receptors in disease progression. His work integrates systems biology approaches to develop non-invasive biomarkers and therapeutic strategies. Key areas include:
- Epigenetic modulation of cancer signaling pathways
- Immune response modulation via dietary interventions
- Single-cell transcriptomics and microbiome analysis

Awards & Leadership:

• NIH/NCI R35 Outstanding Investigator Award (2023)
• AAAS Fellow (2021)
• Regents Professor (2020)

Grants & Programs:

• PI of $20M CPRIT grant establishing the Texas A&M Center of Excellence in Cancer Research
• Led development of cores for single-cell ‘omics and translational cancer prevention registries
• Deputy Director of the Center for Translational Environmental Health Research (NIH P30ES023512)

Labs & Collaborations: The Chapkin Lab focuses on translational research at the interface of nutrition, immunology, and cancer biology. Collaborations span disciplines including bioinformatics, microbiology, and quantum computing for data analysis.