Dr Lobke Starr-Vaanholt

Biography

I currently work as a lecturer (scholarship) in the School of Biological sciences. In addition to my role in Aberdeen, I am year 1 lead for the MBCHB programme at Dundee University.

I completed my MSc and PhD in biomedical sciences at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands in 2007, and then continued my research as research fellow in the Energetics Group at the University of Aberdeen, where I worked until 2015. From 2016 to 2019 I worked as a STEM learning coordinator at the Aberdeen Science centre before returning to the university of Aberdeen in 2019 as a lecturer in the international study centre. 

External Memberships

Member of Royal Society for Biology (MRSB)

Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Research Overview

My main research interests lie in animal physiology and behaviour. I have a keen interest in metabolism, ageing and physiological factors that limit our performance. My PhD focused on the relationship between metabolism and ageing, and the physiological mechanisms underlying senescence. My postdoctural work focussed on unravelling the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying body weight regulation. Our understanding of the molecular basis of weight regulation has exploded over the past 20 years, spurred on by the discovery of leptin in 1994. Despite this progress many questions remain unanswered and the prevalence of obesity is ever increasing. It is intriguing that under the same environmental conditions, some people gain weight and become obese, whereas others maintain energy balance and remain slim. My research has focussed on the physiological and neurological mechanisms involved in these individual responses to caloric restriction (i.e., dieting). I found that individuals that were prone to diet-induced weight loss showed a differential expression profiles of neuropeptides and their receptors in the arcuate nucleus of the brain compared to individuals that were resistant to diet-induced weight loss.

I have keen interest in educational research, in particular with a focus on increasing student engagement and progression, and the use of electronic teaching tools and technologies. 

Teaching Responsibilities

Course Coordinator

• Population Ecology (EK3303)
• Comparative Physiology I (BI2524)
• Behaviour Biology (BI3505)
• Marine Field Ecology (BI25F9)

Lecturer

• Diversity of Life II (BI1512)
• Ecology (BI2020)
• Population Ecology (EK3303)
• Comparative Physiology I (BI2524)
• Behaviour Biology (BI3505)

Supervisor

• Honours Projects (BI4016)
• Honours Essays (BI4017 & BI4517)