Diego Hernandez Saavedra

Diego Hernandez Saavedra, PhD, is an Assistant Professor with dual appointments in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health and the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research program investigates metabolic diseases, focusing on obesity, inflammation, and gut microbiota interactions, with particular emphasis on exercise physiology and epigenetic regulation.

Education includes:

• PhD in Nutritional Sciences (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2018)

Research interests span:

• Obesity pathophysiology: Mechanisms of diet-induced obesity, lipid droplet dynamics, and adipose tissue remodeling
• Exercise metabolism: Hepatic and muscular adaptations to chronic exercise, acylcarnitine handling
• Gut-microbiota interactions: Immunogenic signatures in aging, microbiota-dependent lipid absorption
• Metabolic regulation: Brown adipose tissue function, glucose homeostasis, and endocannabinoid signaling

Recent publications demonstrate strong focus on metabolic adaptations to exercise and diet, with recurring themes in lipid handling, inflammatory modulation, and tissue-specific responses to metabolic stress. Work frequently employs molecular and biochemical approaches to examine adipose tissue, hepatic, and gut microbiota dynamics.

Research outputs have received significant attention, including media coverage of gut microbiota studies and international research collaborations. Current work explores therapeutic strategies for metabolic diseases through exercise interventions and microbiota modulation.