Research Interests

My research activities are targeted to perform interdisciplinary research at the interface between exercise science, nutrition and medicine. I aim to gain a better understanding of the role of diet and physical activity for promoting life expectancy, especially measuring how nutritional strategies and lifestyle modifications may facilitate overall health and help to improve, preserve or restore functional capacity, with a particular focus on muscle–immune interactions.

Themes: Ageing, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Wellbeing

Projects

HDHL-INTIMIC (2019–2022)
Knowledge Platform on Food, Diet, Intestinal Microbiota and Human Health
Funding: ERA-Net Cofund, BM für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung
Principal Investigator (Task Leader)
Objectives:
– To explore the relation between dietary/physical activity patterns and the microbiome
– To look into the mechanisms by which gut microbiota is able to influence muscle health
– To disseminate the results of research to the stakeholders and the general public

HIP (2016–2017)
High Protein in Older Hip Fracture Patients
Funding: Austrian Workers’ Compensation Board (AUVA)
Principal Investigator

OMNI-BIOTICS (2015–2016)
Probiotics Supplementation for Athletes
Funding: Institute Allergosan GmbH
Principal Investigator

KORA-AGE (2014–2016)
Impact of Muscle Strength for Successful Aging – A Population-based Analysis
Funding: Tyrolean Science Fund (Project No 0404/1398)
Principal Investigator

VAT (2014–2015)
Abdominal Obesity and Vascular Function
Grant: U.S. NINDS (R01NS75565, APH), NIA (F31AG040890, MMG), Fulbright
Co-Investigator

Collaborations

Medical University Vienna, Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Austria

German Aerospace Center (DLR), Muscle and Bone Metabolism, Cologne, Germany

University Giessen, Department of Exercise Physiology and Sports Therapy, Germany

University Regensburg, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Germany

University of Parma, Geriatric-Rehabilitation Department, Microbiome Research Hub, Italy

University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology, Clinical Neuroscience Lab, USA

JPI-HDHL – Knowledge Platform on Food, Diet, Intestinal Microbiomics and Human Health

(Austrian partners: MUG, MUW, SFU, UNIGRAZ, VMU)