Dan Berry named Andre Bensadoun Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences

Daniel Berry has been appointed the Andre Bensadoun, Ph.D. ’60 Associate Professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences. His research focuses on how adipose tissue develops, functions and contributes to metabolic health.

“Receiving this named professorship is truly an honor,” said Berry. “It gives us the momentum to continue pursuing ambitious scientific questions, sustain long-term progress, and train the next generation of researchers working to advance adipose biology and metabolic health.”

Berry studies fat and how it stores energy and helps regulate whole-body metabolism. He investigates both white fat and brown fat; the latter burns excess calories and produces heat. By studying stem-like cells that eventually become adipocytes, Berry examines how factors such as diet and nutrition, temperature and aging influence fat cell development and behavior. His research has shown that brown fat activity diminishes with age, which may explain why some people become more prone to weight gain later in life.

“My goal is to take these biological insights and translate them into strategies that promote metabolic resilience, support healthy aging and reduce the burden of chronic metabolic disease associated with obesity,” he said.

The professorship was established by the Bensadoun family — son Marc ’83 and Cristina Bensadoun, brother Aldo Bensadoun and Dianne Bibeau — in honor of Andre Bensadoun, a Cornell professor emeritus in nutrition. Andre’s expertise lies in lipid transport and the biochemistry, structure and function of lipolytic enzymes.