Chunmei Wang

Chunmei Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, where she leads a research laboratory at the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) in Houston, Texas. Her work centers on neuroendocrine mechanisms regulating metabolic adaptations in females, with a focus on brain estrogenic actions in energy and glucose balance during physiological states such as menopause, pregnancy, and lactation.

Dr. Wang earned her PhD from the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, and her BS from Nanjing Agricultural University, China. Her research integrates genetic, molecular, and physiological approaches including Cre-loxP/Flp-frt systems, CRISPR, chemogenetics, optogenetics, photometry, electrophysiology, and neurotracing in mouse models to dissect hypothalamic neuronal circuits.

Her research interests include:

• Neuroendocrinology of female metabolism
• Estrogen signaling in the hypothalamus
• Sex differences in energy homeostasis
• Retinoic acid receptors in hypothalamic development
• Neuronal control of lactational physiology

Dr. Wang’s recent publications (2017–2025) in journals such as Nature Metabolism, Science Advances, Nature Communications, and Molecular Metabolism reveal key insights into estrogen-regulated neuronal circuits, sexual dimorphism in POMC and AgRP neurons, and hormonal control of feeding and metabolism. Her work consistently emphasizes sex-specific mechanisms in metabolic regulation.

She has received competitive grant funding from:

• American Heart Association (AHA)
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• USDA/ARS

Dr. Wang mentors a team of graduate students and research technicians, including Darah Scruggs-Threat, Sanika Jossy, Benjamin Eappen, and Lidia Ramirez. Her lab is part of a multidisciplinary research environment at the CNRC, which provides state-of-the-art facilities and collaborative opportunities.