Expertise

Research in the Hood lab is focuses on understanding the interactions between nutrition, physiology, and individual variation in performance. Within this context we focus on 3 areas: 1) reproductive performance and life history tradeoffs, 2) maternal effects and offspring performance, and 3) milk composition and the impact of lactation on human health.

The questions that we address in my lab largely focus on the critical periods of growth, reproduction, and senescence. Differences in performance during these periods are intriguing because of their direct impacts on fitness.

My lab's primary focus is understanding the mechanistic basis for variation in individual performance and life history. To this end, we categorize our work as followings:

  • Understanding of the role of mitochondrial function and reactive oxygen species exposure in reproduction and longevity.
    • The relationship between reproduction, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and subsequent survival
    • The interaction between oxidative events and life history
    • Theory on the mechanistic basis for life-history tradeoffs
  • Does endoplasmic reticulum stress influence performance in natural contexts.
  • Milk composition and the impact of lactation on human health
  • Do animals maintained in seminatural enclosures display phenotypes that are more closely related to animals living in the wild than animals living under standard laboratory conditions?

The questions that we address in my lab largely focus on the critical periods of growth, reproduction, and senescence.

My lab's primary focus is understanding the mechanistic basis for variation in individual performance and life history. To this end, we categorize our work as followings:

  • Understanding of the role of mitochondrial function and reactive oxygen species exposure in reproduction and longevity.

Research:

  • The relationship between reproduction, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and subsequent survival.
  • The interaction between oxidative events and life history
  • The response of mitochondria to ROS exposure​
  • Theory on the mechanistic basis for life-history tradeoffs
  • Does endoplasmic reticulum stress influence performance in natural contexts
  • Milk composition and the impact of lactation on human health
  • Do animals maintained in seminatural enclosures display phenotypes that are more closely related to animals living in the wild than animals living under standard laboratory conditions?

Research:

  • Semi-natural enclosures
  • AU MitoMobile.

Research:

  • Physiological ecology of development, reproduction, longevity, and performance.

Skills and Expertise:

  • Bats
  • Ecophysiology
  • Chiroptera
  • Mammals
  • Evolution
  • Ecology and Evolution
  • Animal Physiology
  • Wildlife Ecology.
Past Affiliations

Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences and Mathematics, Auburn University
2016

Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, College of Science, Coastal Carolina University (past)

Communities
Biological Science
Degrees
PhD, Boston University, Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, 2001
MA, Boston University, Biology, 1998
BA, University of California, Santa Cruz, Marine Biology, 1993