Naima Dahir, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile

Biography

Naima Dahir, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern and a member of its Center for Hypothalamic Research.

Dr. Dahir holds a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University and a master's degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She earned her doctorate in biomedical sciences from the University of Central Florida, where she investigated sex differences in chemosensory signaling pathways that modulate feeding behavior. She subsequently completed her postdoctoral training at the Life Sciences Institute with Roger Cone, Ph.D., at the University of Michigan, where her research focused on the central role of melanocortin signaling in regulating feeding behavior and body weight in mice.

Dr. Dahir joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2026.

Dr. Dahir’s research centers on how the brain and peripheral sensory systems work together to regulate appetite, energy balance, and nutrient detection. Her work integrates molecular, cellular, and behavioral approaches to define how sensory and motor processing circuits shape ingestive behavior and modulate sensitivity to satiety signals and metabolic hormones.

Dr. Dahir is an active member of the Society for Neuroscience, American Physiological Society, and the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior.

Research Interest

Microcircuit Dynamics of Energy Homeostasis
Sensory/Motor Integration and Innate Behaviors

Publications

Featured Publications

An improved synthesis of Compound 11, a unique bicyclic melanocortin-3 antagonist.: Joy ST, Dahir NS, Cone RD, Mapp AK, Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2025 Jan 117 1
Subthreshold activation of the melanocortin system causes generalized sensitization to anorectic agents in mice.: Dahir NS, Gui Y, Wu Y, Sweeney PR, Rouault AA, Williams SY, Gimenez LE, Sawyer TK, Joy ST, Mapp AK, Cone RD, J Clin Invest 2024 Jul 134 14
Structure of the Ion Channel Kir7.1 and Implications for its Function in Normal and Pathophysiologic States.: Peisley A, Hernandez CC, Dahir NS, Koepping L, Raczkowski A, Su M, Ghamari-Langroudi M, Ji X, Gimenez LE, Cone RD, bioRxiv 2024 Jun
Melanocortin-3 receptor expression in AgRP neurons is required for normal activation of the neurons in response to energy deficiency.: Gui Y, Dahir NS, Wu Y, Downing G, Sweeney P, Cone RD, Cell Rep 2023 Oct 42 10 113188
GPR84 Is Essential for the Taste of Medium Chain Saturated Fatty Acids.: Liu Y, Xu H, Dahir N, Calder A, Lin F, Gilbertson TA, J Neurosci 2021 Jun 41 24 5219-5228
Ghrelin Receptors Enhance Fat Taste Responsiveness in Female Mice.: Calder AN, Yu T, Dahir NS, Sun Y, Gilbertson TA, Nutrients 2021 Mar 13 4
Sex differences in fat taste responsiveness are modulated by estradiol.: Dahir NS, Calder AN, McKinley BJ, Liu Y, Gilbertson TA, Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2021 Mar 320 3 E566-E580

Honors & Awards

Career Transition/Pathway to Independence K Award
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2024)
Keystone Symposia Fellow
(2024)
BRAINS (Broadening the Representation of Academic Investigators in NeuroScience) Fellow
University of Washington (2022)
Excellence in Research Award
American Physiological Society (2022)
Dissertation Fellowship
University of Central Florida College of Medicine (2021)
Multidisciplinary Training Program in Basic Diabetes Research
University of Michigan (2021-2023)
Wodzinski Memorial Scholarship
University of Central Florida (2018)
Graduate Student Teacher of the Year
Utah State University Department of Biology (2017)
Neuroscience Scholars Program Fellow
Society of Neuroscience (2014)
Morril Scholar Program for Undergraduate Studies
The Ohio State University (2008)

Professional Associations/Affiliations

American Physiological Society
Society for Neuroscience
Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior