Martin Graef

Dr. Martin Graef is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell University, affiliated with CALS (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences). He leads the Graef Lab, which investigates molecular mechanisms of autophagy and cellular ageing, focusing on lipid-membrane dynamics, mitochondrial behavior, and genome maintenance. His research combines biochemistry, live cell imaging, and systems-level genetics/proteomics to model autophagy in yeast and mammalian systems.

Research interests include autophagy regulation, lipid biology, mitochondrial function, and their implications for human disease. His lab’s work bridges fundamental cellular processes with disease mechanisms, particularly under starvation conditions.

Selected recent publications highlight discoveries in autophagy’s role in lipid channeling, mitochondrial DNA regulation during stress, and lipid droplet-ER interactions. These studies advance understanding of cellular survival strategies under metabolic challenges.

Dr. Graef collaborates across disciplines within Cornell’s Graduate Fields of Genetics, Genomics and Development and Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. His lab is actively involved in training students and postdocs, though specific advisee names are not listed here.