Matt Ulgherait

Matt Ulgherait, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on mechanisms of aging, metabolism, and nutrition, using Drosophila as a model organism to study how environmental and genetic factors influence longevity. He explores circadian clock interactions with metabolic processes like autophagy and feeding timing, particularly in interventions such as time-restricted feeding.

Education:

• Ph.D., Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles (2014)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center (2023)
• B.S., Biology, Drexel University (2007)

Research Interests:

• Aging and lifespan regulation via metabolic signaling
• Nutritional biochemistry and autophagy
• Metabolic pathways in mitochondria, lipids, and insulin signaling
• Role of circadian rhythms in longevity interventions

Awards:

• Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow Award (2022, CUMC)
• EUREKA award for Innovation (2012, UCLA)
• Life Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award (2010, UCLA)
• Life Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award (2009, UCLA)

Service & Teaching: Focuses on mentoring undergraduate researchers and training in fellowship writing. Teaches courses on genetics of metabolism and nutritional biochemistry.

Lab/Team: Conducts interdisciplinary studies at the Gillings School, leveraging fruit fly models to uncover molecular mechanisms linking diet, circadian clocks, and aging. Collaborates with institutions globally to advance translational aging research.