Helene Volkoff

Helene Volkoff, Professor at the Departments of Biology and Biochemistry at Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a leading expert in fish endocrinology, focusing on the endocrine regulation of feeding and reproduction. She earned her B.Sc. from Université Pierre et Marie Curie (France), M.Sc. from Université d'Aix-Marseille III, and Ph.D. from Clemson University (USA). Her research explores the molecular mechanisms underlying appetite control in fish species, particularly examining hormonal pathways like visfatin/NAMPT, thyroid hormones, and appetite-regulating peptides across diverse species including goldfish, Mexican cavefish, and Atlantic salmon.

• Education
  • B.Sc. – Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France
  • M.Sc. – Université d'Aix-Marseille III, France
  • Ph.D. – Clemson University, SC, USA

Her lab has published over 35 studies, addressing climate change impacts on marine life, sustainable aquaculture, and conservation biology. Her work intersects with human health through comparative endocrinology, offering insights into metabolic disorders and obesity via conserved hormonal pathways.

Research trends from her 2019–2023 publications highlight:

• Temperature effects on feeding in tropical and cold-water fish species
• Transcriptional regulation of appetite in goldfish and cavefish
• Comparative endocrinology across Characidae and Salmonidae families
• Environmental stressors (hypoxia, climate change) on hormonal balance
• Nutritional genomics in aquaculture species like pacu and dourado
• Evolutionary conservation of neuroendocrine pathways in vertebrates

Students supervised include graduate researchers like Azari S., Deal C.K., and London S., alongside postdoctoral fellows such as Corona-Herrera G.A. and Sabioni R.E., working on projects related to gene expression, environmental adaptation, and metabolic controls in fish models.