Our school boasts a dedicated faculty and staff who invest a significant amount of time and effort in conducting groundbreaking research. This page aims to showcase some of our exceptional faculty and staff members’ outstanding research.
Shelby Osburn, PhD
Research Interests: Skeletal muscle physiology; Molecular biology; Regulation of the non-coding genome; Exercise and other healthy lifestyle interventions
Methodological Interest/Expertise: Quantitative methodologies: bioinformatics, single target molecular techniques, exercise performance"My primary research focus revolves around skeletal muscle physiology. I use an omics approach to understand how skeletal muscle health and function changes with age and how healthy lifestyle interventions like exercise and supplements can mitigate this decline. I am particularly interested in the role the non-coding genome (transposable elements, TEs) plays in these changes and adaptations. Another focus is how skeletal muscle can communicate with the brain, and how extracellular vesicles (EVs) can act therapeutically to facilitate communication and promote healthy outcomes from active, exercised muscle."
​ Recent Publications: Osburn SC, Easterday D, McEntee CM, Latham A, Lark DS, McGrath S, Moreno J, LaRocca TJ. Canine Cognitive Dysfunction is Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Changes in the Brain and Plasma Extracellular Vesicle Transcriptome. Brain Pathology. 2025.Osburn SC, Smith ME, Wahl D, LaRocca TJ. Novel effects of reverse transcriptase inhibitor supplementation in skeletal muscle of old mice. Physiol Genom. 2025.
Ruple BA, Carlini NA, Kofoed JS, Rostamkhani H, Hanson BE, Wilcox I, Craig JC, Osburn SC, Drumond MJ, Broxterman RM, Trinity JD Transcriptomic analyses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells reveal age-specific basal and acute exercise responsiveness differences in humans. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2025.
Check out Dr. Osburn's Scholar Page for more information
So Yeon Lee, PhD
Research Interests: Academic motivation, motivational interventions, motivationally supportive instructional practices, peer effects and social influences, identity development, STEM Education
Methodological Interest/Expertise: Quantitative methodologies (survey research; variable-oriented approaches, person-oriented approaches), Scoping/Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, Qualitative methodology"My primary research focuses on how student motivation changes over time and how different contexts (e.g., peers, parents, schools) shape these changes. While my training has been primarily quantitative, I also use qualitative methodologies, such as narrative inquiry and case study approaches, to better understand students’ experiences and how the contexts they are situated in influence their motivation."
"Another line of my research examines how individuals form identities and beliefs about intelligence. I am particularly interested in how students come to see themselves as capable or incapable in academic domains, often reflected in statements like “I am not a math person” or “I am not smart enough to do this.” My work also aims to design interventions that support more adaptive beliefs about intelligence and promote positive changes in students’ motivation and academic identities."
Check out Dr. Lee's Scholar Page for more information