Courtney Peterson

Dr. Courtney Peterson is an Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with joint appointments in the School of Health Professions (Department of Nutrition Sciences) and School of Medicine. She holds additional associate scientist positions in multiple research centers including the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center and Comprehensive Diabetes Center. Her internationally recognized research focuses on time-restricted eating and circadian metabolism, with her work featured in prominent media outlets reaching over 104 million people.

Her research program develops novel dietary interventions combining intermittent fasting, chronobiology, and diet quality to treat cardiometabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and obesity. Secondary interests include mathematical modeling of body composition. She leads several clinical trials including a 344-person study on intermittent fasting in type 2 diabetes patients, and was first to test early time-restricted eating in humans.

Recent publications show strong focus on time-restricted eating interventions, with 2023-2025 articles examining metabolic health, adherence challenges, aging impacts, and standardized terminology. Her research consistently bridges chronobiology with practical dietary interventions for metabolic disorders.