Alex DiFeliceantonio

Alex DiFeliceantonio, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. She is also the Interim Co-director of the Center for Health Behaviors Research, where she leads interdisciplinary efforts to understand the neurobiological basis of eating behaviors.

Dr. DiFeliceantonio earned her B.S. in Psychology from Sweet Briar College and her Ph.D. in Biopsychology from the University of Michigan. She completed postdoctoral training at Yale University and the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Germany, focusing on dopamine signaling and food motivation.

Her research centers on appetitive neuroscience—how the brain integrates sensory and metabolic signals to guide food choices. She uses multimodal brain imaging and behavioral methods to explore food reward, craving, and the addictive qualities of ultra-processed foods. Her lab investigates how combinations of fat and carbohydrates produce supra-additive reward responses and how these mechanisms may contribute to overeating and obesity.

Her recent publications highlight a strong focus on the neural and behavioral effects of ultra-processed foods, reward circuitry, and potential parallels between food and drug addiction. She has published in high-impact journals such as Cell Metabolism, Science, and Appetite, often in collaboration with leading experts in neuroscience and metabolism.

• Supra-additive food reward from fat-carbohydrate combinations
• Neural mechanisms of ultra-processed food consumption
• Dopamine signaling in eating behavior
• Overlap between food and drug reward pathways
• Controlled feeding trials in young adults
• Implications for food addiction and public health

Dr. DiFeliceantonio has received research support from the National Institutes of Health and the Seale Innovation Fund. She is actively involved in training the next generation of scientists through her lab and mentoring roles. She also contributes to public science communication through media interviews, podcasts like 'Curious Conversations,' and public lectures on brain science and eating behavior.

She leads the DiFeliceantonio Lab in Roanoke, which combines neuroscience, nutrition, and psychology to address critical questions about diet, motivation, and health. Her work has been featured in major media outlets including the New York Times, National Geographic, and Yahoo News, reflecting its broad scientific and societal relevance.