FARM 2025 | Molecular Session Speakers
Molecular Underpinnings of Performance
By tracking molecular changes throughout training, competition, injury, and recovery, researchers are transforming how we reach peak performance, from functional nutrition to personalized training plans. This session spotlights the molecules that underlie performance, offering new insight into the molecular players in Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) as well as innovative discoveries around the molecular and physiological effects of high-intensity and endurance exercise.
MODERATOR
Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD
Carolyn Bertozzi is the Baker Family Director of Sarafan ChEM-H and Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor at Stanford University, as well as a Nobel Laureate and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She is a leading chemist recognized for her groundbreaking research on cell surface glycosylation and its connections to disease.
CO-MODERATOR
Mary Cain
Mary Cain is a former professional middle-distance runner and national champion who now attends Stanford University as a medical student. Renowned for her advocacy on female athlete mental health, she continues to inspire as she transitions from elite athletics to a career in medicine.
SPEAKER
Maléne Lindholm, PhD
Maléne Lindholm is the Director of the Human Molecular Athlete Moonshot for the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford University. Her research explores multi-omic and genetic adaptations to exercise, aiming to advance precision exercise for female health and performance.
SPEAKER
Morgan Smith, PhD
Morgan Smith is a postdoctoral fellow with the Molecular Athlete Moonshot of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford. She is exploring the molecular underpinnings and predictors of fatigue in team sport athletes, and relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs) in female endurance athletes. Morgan is a track and field coach for a local Bay Area high school and gives strength and conditioning workshops for girls and women around the country.
SPEAKER
Aubrey Roberts
Aubrey Roberts is a graduate student with the Molecular Athlete Moonshot of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford. Her research focuses on the physiological and molecular effects of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and endurance exercise. Aubrey is an avid distance runner herself and is a two-time All-American cross country runner.
SPEAKER
Laura Van Rosmalen, PhD
Laura Van Rosmalen is a postdoctoral fellow with the Molecular Athlete Moonshot of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at the Salk Institute. Laura pioneered a mouse model to study the underlying molecular changes in response to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs).
Get Engaged
We invite faculty, students, staff, alumni, friends, and external organizations to participate in the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford.