Peter Light

Peter Light is a Full Professor in the Department of Pharmacology within the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. He serves as Chair of Pharmacology (since July 2023) and Director of the Alberta Diabetes Institute (since July 2010). He holds the prestigious Dr. Charles A. Allard Chair in Diabetes Research and leads an active research laboratory located in the Alberta Diabetes Institute.

• BSc-Honours (Biological Sciences/Cell Physiology), University of Birmingham, UK, 1986
• PhD (Biological Sciences/Cell Physiology), University of Birmingham, UK, 1990
• Post-doctoral training at University of Calgary and University of Ottawa

Dr. Light's research focuses on molecular pharmacology and new therapeutics for diabetes and heart disease. His laboratory investigates ion transport processes controlling cellular excitability using electrophysiological, live-cell imaging, biochemical and molecular techniques. Current research areas include ionic and metabolic events leading to cellular dysfunction in the heart and endocrine pancreas, incretin biology in pancreatic islets, development of small molecules for treating heart failure and diabetes, ATP-sensitive potassium channel function, anti-diabetic drug safety, and non-invasive glucose monitoring systems. His lab has pioneered research on endogenous light-sensitive signaling pathways in adipocytes and optogenetic applications for diabetes treatment.

Analysis of Dr. Light's recent publications reveals a strong focus on the intersection of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, particularly the cardiac effects of SGLT2 inhibitors. His work spans from molecular studies of ion channels to clinical applications of diabetes medications, with increasing emphasis on novel glucose monitoring technologies and optogenetic approaches for metabolic disorders.

• Dr. Charles A. Allard Chair in Diabetes Research

Dr. Light's research program is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Alberta Diabetes Foundation. He has mentored numerous graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and research associates across multiple projects. His laboratory team includes specialists in electrophysiology, molecular biology, and biomedical engineering working collaboratively on diabetes and cardiovascular research. The Light Lab is part of the Alberta Diabetes Institute, a world-class research facility housing the IsletCore human islet isolation and research facility that Dr. Light helped establish in 2010 with joint funding from the Alberta Diabetes Foundation and the University of Alberta.

Dr. Light's laboratory occupies space in the Li Ka Shing Centre, with both office (6-126A) and lab (6-040) facilities. The lab maintains an active presence through its website (thelightlab.ca) and continues to recruit highly qualified researchers for positions in diabetes and cardiovascular pharmacology.