Tanya Halliday

Tanya Halliday is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Recreation at the University of Utah, with an adjunct appointment in Nutrition & Integrative Physiology. She holds a PhD in Clinical Physiology and Metabolism from Virginia Tech and is a Registered Dietitian (RD). Her research focuses on appetite regulation, exercise physiology, obesity, and weight management strategies. She has authored over 60 scholarly articles and contributed to evidence-based guidelines for medical nutrition therapy. Dr. Halliday also leads NIH-funded research on lifestyle interventions for weight loss maintenance and has received awards such as the Outstanding Recent Alumni from Virginia Tech and the Emerging Investigator Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She teaches courses in thesis research and trends in health, kinesiology, and recreation. Her work bridges clinical practice and research, emphasizing the role of diet and exercise in metabolic health and chronic disease prevention.

Education:

• BS in Dietetics, University of Wyoming (2010)
• RD Dietetic Internship, University of Houston (2011)
• PhD in Human Nutrition, Virginia Tech (2016)
• NIH-funded Postdoctoral Fellowship in Endocrinology & Metabolism at University of Colorado Anschutz (2018)

Research Interests:

Dr. Halliday investigates how exercise modalities (aerobic vs. resistance) influence appetite, energy intake, and body weight regulation. Her work also explores sex-based biological variables in metabolic responses and develops adaptive interventions for weight loss maintenance. She examines the impact of lifestyle interventions on cardiometabolic health, including glycemic control and stress-sleep interactions during pandemics.

Grants & Funding:

• NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (KL2 award)
• Subcontract from University of Colorado for NIH R21 grant
• University of Utah’s Vice President’s Clinical and Translational Research Scholars Program
• Funding for projects on whey protein supplementation in athletes and time-of-day effects of resistance exercise

Teaching:

Dr. Halliday teaches advanced courses including thesis research supervision and trends in health and kinesiology. She mentors students in independent research projects and journal readings.

Awards & Recognition:

• Outstanding Recent Alumni, Virginia Tech (2020)
• Vice President’s Clinical and Translational Research Scholar (2019)
• Emerging Investigator Award, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2019)
• Top 10 Abstract Award, Obesity Society (2017)

Labs & Collaborations:

Her research is conducted within interdisciplinary teams at the University of Utah, focusing on translational studies in nutrition and exercise. Collaborations include the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center and the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at University of Colorado.