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Diane M. O'Brien

Credit: 
Diane O'Brien
Research Interests: 

I am interested in how naturally-occurring variations in stable isotope ratios can be used as markers for nutritional and physiological processes. Currently a large portion of my research is devoted to the development of these markers for use in nutritional epidemiology. I work closely with the Center for Alaska Native Health Research at UAF [CANHR] to develop tools for linking dietary patterns to chronic disease in Alaska Natives and other populations.  If you are interested in working in my lab, please send me an email with your interests.

Diane M O'Brien
Professor
dmobrien@alaska.edu
CV: 
PDF icon Diane O'Brien CV.pdf
Office: 
230 Arctic Health Research Building
907-474-5762
Postal Address: 
Institute of Arctic Biology
PO Box 757000
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7000

Positions

  • 2015-now   Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
  • 2009-2015  Associate Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks  
  • 2004-2009  Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
  • 2003-2004  Assistant Professor, Wellesley College
  • 2001-2002  Visiting Assistant Professor, Swarthmore College
  • 2000-2003  Visiting Scientist, Carnegie Institution of Washington Geophysical Laboratory
  • 1998-2003  Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University

Education

  • 1998          PhD, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University
  • 1991          BA, Department of Biology, Amherst College

2005

O'Brien, D.M., BOGGS, C.L. & FOGEL, M.L., 2005. The amino acids used in reproduction by butterflies: A comparative study of dietary sources using compound-specific stable isotope analysis. PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL ZOOLOGY, 78, pp.819-827.
SUAREZ, R.K. et al., 2005. Energy metabolism in orchid bee flight muscles: carbohydrate fuels all. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY, 208, pp.3573-3579.

2004

FISCHER, K., O'Brien, D.M. & BOGGS, C.L., 2004. Allocation of larval and adult resources to reproduction in a fruit-feeding butterfly. FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, 18, pp.656-663.

2003

O'Brien, D.M., BOGGS, C.L. & FOGEL, M.L., 2003. Pollen feeding in the butterfly Heliconius charitonia: isotopic evidence for essential amino acid transfer from pollen to eggs. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 270, pp.2631-2636.

2002

O'Brien, D.M., FOGEL, M.L. & BOGGS, C.L., 2002. Renewable and nonrenewable resources: Amino acid turnover and allocation to reproduction in lepidoptera. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 99, pp.4413-4418.

2001

O'Brien, D.M. & SUAREZ, R.K., 2001. Fuel use in hawkmoth (Amphion floridensis) flight muscle: Enzyme activities and flux rates. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY, 290, pp.108-114.

2000

O'Brien, D.M., SCHRAG, D.P. & DEL RIO, C.M., 2000. Allocation to reproduction in a hawkmoth: A quantitative analysis using stable carbon isotopes. ECOLOGY, 81, pp.2822-2831.

1999

O'Brien, D.M., 1999. Fuel use in flight and its dependence on nectar feeding in the hawkmoth Amphion floridensis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY, 202, pp.441-451.

1997

GANNES, L.Z., OBRIEN, D.M. & DELRIO, C.M., 1997. Stable isotopes in animal ecology: Assumptions, caveats, and a call for more laboratory experiments. ECOLOGY, 78, pp.1271-1276.

Pages

American Society for Nutrition

Search for Diane's projects on the IAB website »

Current Graduate Students (More info)
  • Jessica Johnson
Current Post-Doctoral Fellows (More info)
  • Laura Oxtoby
Past Graduate Students
  • Justin Smith, MS 2018 -- Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, Colorado State University at Fort Wainwright, Alaska
  • Garrett Savory, MS 2013 -- Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, Colorado State University at Fort Wainwright, Alaska
  • Sarah H. Nash, PhD 2013. -- Cancer Surveillance Director at Alaska Native Tumor Registry, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
  • Trixie Lee Pittman, PhD 2012 -- Associate Professor of Biology at Harding University
  • Caroline van Hemert, PhD 2012 -- Research Wildlife Biologist at the Alaska Science Center, USGS.  Also an author!
  • Justine Sears, MS 2008
Past Post-Doctoral Fellows
  • Dr. Hee Young Yun -- 
  • Dr. Kyungcheol Choy -- Department of Cultural Anthropology, Hanyang University, Ansan, South Korea
  • Dr. Thomas Larsen -- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
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