Peter Douglas

Peter Douglas, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, with joint appointments in Cell Biology and affiliations at the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine. His research explores the intersection of cellular stress, aging, and traumatic brain injury (TBI), focusing on lipid metabolism, actin cytoskeleton dynamics, and protein homeostasis.

• Education: BS in Biochemistry (University of Colorado, Boulder), PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Dr. Douglas investigates how stress response pathways influence aging and disease, particularly through lipid surveillance mechanisms and neuroprotective strategies. His lab has uncovered connections between heat shock factors, lipid sensing, and longevity regulation.

His publications highlight discoveries in lipid metabolism (e.g., Intracellular lipid surveillance), TBI (e.g., Glycolytic preconditioning in astrocytes), and stress signaling (e.g., HSF-1 and actin networks). Recent work includes Isoform differences in NHR-49 (2025) and Blood markers in TBI-Alzheimer’s (2024).

• Scientific Awards: NIH K99/R00, CPRIT Recruitment Award, Clayton Foundation Scholar, American Heart Association Fellowship
• Grants: Multiple R01 grants from NIA and NIGMS

The Douglas Lab actively recruits postdocs and graduate students to advance research in age-related neurodegeneration and trauma-induced stress responses, collaborating across disciplines to translate findings from C. elegans to vertebrate models.