Biography

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Peter Douglas, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He received his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Colorado in Boulder and earned his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology. As a graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Douglas Cyr, Peter used different methods in biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology to understand the mechanisms by which protein homeostasis machinery detoxifies misfolded, aggregation-prone proteins.

In 2009, he joined the laboratory of Andrew Dillin at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, and later the University of California in Berkeley, California. There he uncovered novel links between classical stress response function and the actin cytoskeleton network.

In 2015, Peter joined the faculty at UT Southwestern as an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biology. Peter was awarded fellowships from the American Heart Association, National Institute of Health on the Neuroplasticity of Aging and the George E. Hewitt Medical Foundation. He also received a Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from the National Institute of Health. As an assistant professor, Peter received a Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) recruitment of a first-time, tenure-track faculty member award and is an Endowed Scholar in biomedical research. 

Education

Undergraduate
Uni of Colorado-Boulder (2001), Biochemistry
Graduate School
University of N C-Chapel Hill (2009), Molecular & Cell Biology

Research Interest

  • Cellular Energetics
  • Lipid Sensing & Surveillance
  • Molecular Genetics of Aging
  • Protein Homeostasis
  • Stress Response Signaling
  • Traumatic Brain Injury

Publications

Featured Publications LegendFeatured Publications

Quantitative pupillometry in patients with traumatic brain injury and loss of consciousness: A prospective pilot study.
Traylor JI, El Ahmadieh TY, Bedros NM, Al Adli N, Stutzman SE, Venkatachalam AM, Pernik MN, Collum CM, Douglas PM, Aiyagari V, Bagley CA, Olson DM, Aoun SG, J Clin Neurosci 2021 Sep 91 88-92
Simultaneous Control of Endogenous and User-Defined Genetic Pathways Using Unique ecDHFR Pharmacological Chaperones.
Ramadurgum P, Woodard DR, Daniel S, Peng H, Mallipeddi PL, Niederstrasser H, Mihelakis M, Chau VQ, Douglas PM, Posner BA, Hulleman JD, Cell Chem Biol 2020 Mar
Small-molecule TFEB pathway agonists that ameliorate metabolic syndrome in mice and extend C. elegans lifespan.
Wang C, Niederstrasser H, Douglas PM, Lin R, Jaramillo J, Li Y, Olswald NW, Zhou A, McMillan EA, Mendiratta S, Wang Z, Zhao T, Lin Z, Luo M, Huang G, Brekken RA, Posner BA, MacMillan JB, Gao J, White MA Nat Commun 2017 Dec 8 1 2270
The homeodomain-interacting protein kinase HPK-1 preserves protein homeostasis and longevity through master regulatory control of the HSF-1 chaperone network and TORC1-restricted autophagy in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Das R, Melo JA, Thondamal M, Morton EA, Cornwell AB, Crick B, Kim JH, Swartz EW, Lamitina T, Douglas PM, Samuelson AV PLoS Genet. 2017 Oct 13 10 e1007038

Honors & Awards

  • NIH (RO1) National Institute on Aging Award
    (2022-2027)
  • NIH (R01) National Institute on Aging Award
    (2021-2022)
  • The Welch Foundation Award
    (2021-2024)
  • Clayton Medical Foundation Investigator Award
    (2020)
  • NIH (R01) National Institute of Health Award
    (2019-2024)
  • American Federation of Aging Research (AFAR) Young Investigator Award
    (2017-2019)
  • Texas Institute of Brain Injury Research (TIBIR) Pilot Award
    (2017-2018)
  • Welch Foundation Award in Chemical Biology
    (2017-2020)
  • Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging
    (2016-2018)
  • Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Scholar Recruitment of First-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty Members
    (2015)
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Endowed Scholar
    (2015)
  • K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award NIH/NIA
    (2013-2018)
  • George Hewitt Medical Foundation Scholar
    (2010-2013)
  • Neuroplasticity of Aging Postdoctoral Training Fellowship
    (2009-2010)
  • American Heart Association Pre-Doctoral Fellowship
    (2006-2008)

Professional Associations/Affiliations

  • Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine (2015)