Kevin Murach, an assistant professor in the College of Education and Health Professions Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, has been awarded the 2024 Cell & Molecular Physiology Section New Investigator Award from the American Physiological Society.

Each year, the award is given to an outstanding investigator in the early stages of their career who has made significant contributions in cell and molecular physiology research areas. Murach has published research in APS journals throughout his career and has been featured in the association's flagship journal, Function, six times.

"An award such as this speaks to the excellence of my mentors, collaborators, trainees and administrators, without whom this is not even possible," he said. "I share this with my support network, which is what means the most to me."

Murach currently serves as the principal investigator in the M3R: Molecular Muscle Mass Regulation Lab, in which his team uses molecular biology techniques to study muscle mass regulation within exercise adaptation, aging and disease.

In August of 2023, Murach and fellow researchers at the U of A were awarded over $2.5 million from the National Institutes of Health to support investigations into the ways exercise can mitigate the decline of tissue function with aging.

Nearly 10,000 scientists and educators are members of APS, working together to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The organization's meetings, career resources, journals and awards help connect its members as they try to solve the major problems affecting life and health.

"The APS is one of the driving forces for physiology research in America, hosting major conferences that are attended by scientists from all over the world," Murach said. "To be a part of this organization, and to be recognized by them, is a strong endorsement based on the stature of the society, its prolific membership and its mission to accelerate physiological sciences."

In addition to receiving an honorarium, Murach will be highlighted by the organization's Cell Section newsletter and recognized at the American Physiology Summit in April.

Murach graduated with his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned the Ronald Hyatt Scholarship in Exercise Science. He completed a master's in exercise physiology at James Madison University and his Ph.D. in human bioenergetics from the Ball State Human Performance Laboratory in Muncie, Indiana. His dissertation was a collaboration with NASA to optimize the exercise prescription for astronauts on the International Space Station.

He went on to spend six years as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Kentucky Center for Muscle Biology, during which he was supported by two National Institutes of Health grants, was the recipient of the Thomas V. Getchell Memorial Award from the University of Kentucky Grant Writing Workshop, won the 2017 FASEB BioArt contest and was an NIH NIA Butler-Williams Scholar.

To learn more about Murach's current research, visit the M3R: Molecular Muscle Mass Regulation Laboratory website.