Matthew R. Hayes PhD

Matt Hayes is an Assistant Professor of Nutritional Neuroscience, in the Translational Neuroscience Program in the Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hayes earned his Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from The Pennsylvania State University in 2006 and conducted his postdoctoral fellowship in psychology and neuroscience at The University of Pennsylvania until 2010.

Dr. Hayes’ current NIH-funded research examines the neuroendocrinology of energy balance control using rodent models. In particular, the Hayes lab focusses their research efforts extensively on understanding the neural, behavioral, molecular, and physiological mechanisms by which hormones, such as glucagon-like peptide-1, amylin, and leptin regulate food intake and body weight through action in the mesolimbic reward system and caudal brainstem. These basic science research efforts are conducted with the intention that they will translate into improved pharmacological/behavioral treatments for obesity and co-morbid diseases.