Wendy R. Hood

Wendy R. Hood is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Auburn University, where she conducts research at the intersection of physiology, ecology, and evolution. She leads the Hood Lab, which investigates life history tradeoffs, mitochondrial function, reproduction, and lactation in diverse species including rodents, birds, and mammals.

• Department: Department of Biological Sciences
• School: College of Sciences and Mathematics
• Position: Professor
• Curator of Mammals, Auburn University Museum of Natural History

Education:

• Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior – Boston University (2001)
• M.A. – Boston University (1998)
• B.A. in Marine Biology – University of California, Santa Cruz (1993)

Research Interests: Her lab explores how nutrition, physiology, and individual variation influence performance. Key areas include reproductive costs, maternal effects, milk composition, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. She integrates field, semi-natural enclosures, and lab-based studies to understand animal performance in ecologically relevant contexts.

Recent Research Trends: Her recent publications emphasize mitochondrial behavior under stress (e.g., UV, infection, reproduction), the role of the unfolded protein response in evolution, and the physiological basis of life history tradeoffs. Her work increasingly bridges molecular mechanisms with organismal fitness, using models like house mice, Peromyscus, and copepods.

Scientific Awards:

• NSF CAREER Grant (2015)
• Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award (2016)
• Auburn University Young Investigator Award (2020)

Advising and Grants: Dr. Hood mentors a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students. Her lab is funded by an NSF CAREER award, an AU Presidential Interdisciplinary Research Award (AU MitoMobile), and an NSF EPSCoR grant. She emphasizes training in experimental design, grant writing, and scientific communication. Her mentoring philosophy promotes independence, inclusion, and mutual growth.

Laboratory and Research Infrastructure: The Hood Lab operates semi-natural enclosures for rodents and utilizes the AU MitoMobile—a mobile laboratory for measuring mitochondrial function in the field. Collaborations with the Kavazis Lab and the Hill Lab enhance capabilities in mitochondrial physiology and avian biology.