{"id":18,"date":"2019-09-16T13:12:51","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T20:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/?page_id=18"},"modified":"2025-03-27T15:04:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T22:04:27","slug":"about-me","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/about-me\/","title":{"rendered":"About Me"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-110t2-3f17db088ac9217a10ab901580d13571\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-110t2-3f17db088ac9217a10ab901580d13571{\npadding-bottom:0;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-110t2-3f17db088ac9217a10ab901580d13571 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-110t2-3f17db088ac9217a10ab901580d13571 .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-110t2-3f17db088ac9217a10ab901580d13571 av-special-heading-h2  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first  av-linked-heading'><h2 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Claudio J. Villanueva, Ph. D.<\/h2><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-k0murfl9-51abc826aeb1c87bbad6562ad6de70fd\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-k0murfl9-51abc826aeb1c87bbad6562ad6de70fd{\nheight:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-k0murfl9-51abc826aeb1c87bbad6562ad6de70fd hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_one_third '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-1jvwa-9efc35510def6a5fbd01da803a2a0c10\">\n.flex_column.av-1jvwa-9efc35510def6a5fbd01da803a2a0c10{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-1jvwa-9efc35510def6a5fbd01da803a2a0c10 av_one_third  avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_two_third  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-k0muf9td-ae1d5349b0c1138a72d87a18faaa280e\">\n.avia-image-container.av-k0muf9td-ae1d5349b0c1138a72d87a18faaa280e img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-k0muf9td-ae1d5349b0c1138a72d87a18faaa280e .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-k0muf9td-ae1d5349b0c1138a72d87a18faaa280e av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-3  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-529 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-529 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/224\/2024\/07\/RichSchmittPhotography077-200x300.jpeg\" alt='' title='RichSchmittPhotography077'  height=\"300\" width=\"200\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/224\/2024\/07\/RichSchmittPhotography077-200x300.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/224\/2024\/07\/RichSchmittPhotography077-687x1030.jpeg 687w, https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/224\/2024\/07\/RichSchmittPhotography077-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/224\/2024\/07\/RichSchmittPhotography077-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/224\/2024\/07\/RichSchmittPhotography077-1365x2048.jpeg 1365w, https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/224\/2024\/07\/RichSchmittPhotography077-1000x1500.jpeg 1000w, https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/224\/2024\/07\/RichSchmittPhotography077-470x705.jpeg 470w, https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/224\/2024\/07\/RichSchmittPhotography077-scaled.jpeg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-k0mui1pf-a916b8619ea979d6cf279dc3afdd7d2a '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\">Department of Integrative Biology &amp; Physiology<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 12pt\"><strong><span class=\"Bold\">LOCATION:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong> Los Angeles, CA<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 12pt\"><strong><span class=\"Bold\">TITLE:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong> Associate Professor<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 12pt\"><strong><span class=\"Bold\">PhD:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong> UCSF, Robert Farese Jr.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 12pt\"><strong><span class=\"Bold\">POSTDOC:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong> UCLA, Peter Tontonoz<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 12pt\"><strong><span class=\"Bold\">RESEARCH:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong> Lipid metabolism, adipocyte development, transcription, and physiology.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"Bold\" style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 12pt\"><strong>CONTACT<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 12pt\">Phone: (310) 825-4369<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 12pt\">e-mail:\u00a0<a title=\"mailto:villanueva@biochem.utah.edu\" href=\"mailto:cvillanueva@ucla.edu\">cvillanueva@g.ucla.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 12pt\">Twitter: @ClaudioVillanu<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-zc5q-75218e898f727a6c882a2819653ac3bd\">\n.flex_column.av-zc5q-75218e898f727a6c882a2819653ac3bd{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:25px 25px 25px 25px;\nbackground-color:#f8f8f8;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-zc5q-75218e898f727a6c882a2819653ac3bd av_two_third  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_one_third  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-k0mufw39-ff433fb84b900dd6081096c4a94baaf2 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>About Me<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">I&#8217;ve dedicated my life to understanding the physiological regulation of lipid metabolism in cell and organ systems. Let me take you on a quick tour of my scientific journey:<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Undergraduate Training at Chaffey College and Cal State San Bernardino<\/strong><br \/>\nAs an undergraduate, I was deeply intrigued with how multicellular organisms sense and adapt to their environment. This interest led me to the lab of Colleen Talbot PhD, who kindled my interest in physiology during these formative years, where I decided to dedicate my career to research. Support for my academic journey was fostered by the <a href=\"https:\/\/mcnairscholars.com\">McNair Scholars Program<\/a>, which provides mentoring support budding scientists interested in doctoral programs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from University of California, San Francisco <\/strong><br \/>\nVenturing to UCSF, I had the privilege of working with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mskcc.org\/research\/ski\/labs\/members\/robert-farese\">Robert Farese Jr.<\/a>\u00a0who was at the <a href=\"https:\/\/gladstone.org\">Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease<\/a>\u00a0at the time. There I studied the relationship between DGAT enzymes and fatty liver disease. The objective was to understand the underlying mechanisms of why mice without the DGAT1 enzyme seemed resistant to fatty liver, a precursor for grave conditions like non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Here, I honed my expertise in mouse genetics, lipid biochemistry, and the realm of diabetes research.<\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-weight: 400\">Post-doctoral Training at UCLA <\/strong><br \/>\nWith an interest to understand how cells acquire their metabolic programs, I joined the lab of <a style=\"font-weight: 400\" href=\"https:\/\/labs.dgsom.ucla.edu\/tontonoz\/pages\/\">Peter Tontonoz<\/a> at the <a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.ucla.edu\">David Geffen School of\u00a0Medicine<\/a>\u00a0at UCLA. Wanting to delve deeper, I shifted my focus from studying lipid biosynthesis enzymes to unraveling their transcriptional regulation. It was here that I discovered a novel transcriptional co-regulator, Transducin Like Enhancer of Split 3(TLE3) in promoting adipogenesis by coactivating the transcription factor PPARgamma.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Assistant Professor, University of Utah, School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our early discoveries that loss of TLE3 promotes adipocytes to adopt a thermogenic fate, laid the groundwork to understand the role beige or brite adipocytes in promoting metabolic health. Using mechanistic approaches and after developing new mouse models, we delved deeper into the metabolic regulation thermogenesis.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Leadership Positions at the <a href=\"https:\/\/labs.dgsom.ucla.edu\/tontonoz\/pages\/\">University of Utah<\/a><\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>Chair of Recruitment for <a href=\"https:\/\/bioscience.utah.edu\">Bioscience Graduate Program<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Steeing Committee for Bioscience Graduate Program<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacnas.org\">SACNAS<\/a> faculty advisor:<a href=\"https:\/\/uofuhealth.utah.edu\/sacnas\"> Steered University of Utah SACNAS<\/a> chapter to support training and recruitment of PhD students in STEM<\/li>\n<li>Member of Faculty Search Committee-Dept. Biochemistry<\/li>\n<li>Ad Hoc Reviewer for the NIH (IPOD, CADO)<\/li>\n<li>Chair planning committee for 2017 SACNAS conference<\/li>\n<li>Member MD\/PhD Admissions Committee<\/li>\n<li>Reviewer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhmi.org\/science-education\/programs\/gilliam-fellows-program\">HHMI Gilliam Fellowships<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Organizing Committee, 2020 NIDDK, NMRI<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Associate Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">After returning to UCLA to join the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ibp.ucla.edu\">Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/lifesciences.ucla.edu\">College of Life Sciences<\/a>, I continued my goal to understand how cells and organisms adapt to stressors like cold and dietary excess. Our lab is investigating how organ systems communicate to regulate lipid metabolism and the nutrient control of adipose stem cells.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Leadership Positions at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucla.edu\">UCLA<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Co-Director of <span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biomedpostdoc.ucla.edu\/iracda-program\/\">IRACDA@UCLA<\/a><\/span> Program: Pioneering postdoctoral training to support research and educational innovation.<\/li>\n<li>Director of Research Support Core for <span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uclahealth.org\/departments\/medicine\/internal-medicine\/education\/lift-up\">UCLA LIFT-UP<\/a><\/span> Network: Championing the training of physicians and scientists.<\/li>\n<li>MBI Faculty Advisor: Steering the <span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbi.ucla.edu\/diversity-equity-inclusion-and-anti-racism\">Molecular Biology Institute&#8217;s<\/a><\/span> initiatives that impact student success.<\/li>\n<li>Advisory Board for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asbmb.org\/meetings-events\/deuel\">Deuel Conference<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Standing Member, Reviewer for the Division of Training and Workforce Development (TWD) at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH<\/li>\n<li>Reviewer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhmi.org\/programs\/freeman-hrabowski-scholars\">HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program<\/a>, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.<\/li>\n<li>Member of several faculty search committees, Integrative Biology and Physiology at UCLA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Future Endeavors<\/strong><br \/>\nAs I look ahead, I&#8217;m excited about the discoveries on the horizon, especially in understanding how cells adapt their metabolic programs to drive energy expenditure. Join me on this journey!<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\">\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"style_2\" style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\" title=\"http:\/\/healthcare.utah.edu\/the-scope\/shows.php?shows=0_ezizwc6d\" href=\"http:\/\/healthcare.utah.edu\/the-scope\/shows.php?shows=0_ezizwc6d\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Body\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><a class=\"style_2\" title=\"http:\/\/healthcare.utah.edu\/the-scope\/shows.php?shows=0_ezizwc6d\" href=\"http:\/\/healthcare.utah.edu\/the-scope\/shows.php?shows=0_ezizwc6d\">Interview about fat biology on Scope Radio.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-18","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/423"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":543,"href":"https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18\/revisions\/543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.lifesci.ucla.edu\/ibp-villanuevalab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}