Dr. Robert Rhoads is originally from Virginia and obtained his BS (96), MS (99), and PhD (04) from the Department of Animal Science at Cornell University. In 2006, Dr. Rhoads joined the faculty in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Arizona where he developed a research program centered on the interaction between environmental stressors (e.g. disease, immune and thermal challenges) and molecular mechanisms governing growth, development, and metabolism. In the Fall of 2011, Rob joined the Animal and Poultry Science Faculty at Virginia Tech. Currently, two specific areas underpin his laboratory’s interest: First, his laboratory is focused on the role of environmental influences on whole animal physiology through the coordination of tissue-specific changes in cellular bioenergetics. Second, he is examining the cellular basis for skeletal muscle growth or repair.