Heejin Jun

Dr. Heejin Jun serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences within Texas Tech University's College of Human Sciences, a position she assumed in 2021 following extensive postdoctoral training.

Educational background:

• Ph.D. in Nutritional Biochemistry, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
• Postdoctoral Training, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
• Postdoctoral Training, University of Michigan

Research expertise encompasses:

• Obesity pathophysiology and therapeutic interventions
• Thermogenic fat biology and metabolic adaptation
• Immune-adipocyte communication mechanisms
• Molecular regulation of energy homeostasis
• Nutritional approaches to metabolic disease
• Pathological reprogramming in diabetes and fatty liver disease

Her laboratory integrates molecular biology, genetics, multi-omics, and physiology to investigate thermogenic fat plasticity across physiological transitions and disease states. Current work emphasizes identifying molecular controls of beige/brown fat activation and exploring its systemic therapeutic potential for obesity comorbidities.

Publication analysis (2014-2024) reveals consistent focus on adipose tissue signaling networks, particularly nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, adrenergic pathways, and mitochondrial regulators in metabolic health. Her research demonstrates progressive exploration from fundamental mechanisms (2014-2018) toward translational applications in steatohepatitis and aging (2021-2024), with significant contributions in Nature Medicine, Nature Aging, and PLOS Biology.

Dr. Jun actively recruits graduate students for her research program investigating nutritional strategies to modulate thermogenic fat. Prospective students should submit CVs via email to hejun@ttu.edu for consideration.

Based in ESB II 114A, her research group employs interdisciplinary approaches to dissect how thermogenic fat serves as an upstream governor of systemic energy homeostasis across multiple organ systems.