Kathleen L. Keller

Kathleen L. Keller is a Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania State University’s College of Health and Human Development. She directs the Metabolic Kitchen and Children's Eating Behavior Laboratory, focusing on neural mechanisms of taste preference and eating behaviors in children, food marketing impacts on obesity, and strategies to improve vegetable consumption.

• Ph.D. from Rutgers University (2002)
• B.S. in Biology from Marquette University (1995)

Her research explores genetic and neural influences on taste perception, individual responses to portion sizes and food marketing, and interventions for developing healthy eating self-regulation in youth. Current work centers on NIH-funded brain mechanisms of overeating in children (RO1 DK110060).

Key research trends include neuroimaging studies on food cue responsivity, behavioral economics applications for dietary improvement, and metabolic analyses of energy compensation. She specializes in pediatric obesity, neuroimaging, and food choice mechanisms.