Heeun Jang, Ph.D

Dr. Heeun Jang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She studies how the brain changes with age, focusing on the neural circuits that control thirst and fluid balance — vital processes that often become impaired in older adults and can lead to dehydration. Using both the tiny roundworm C. elegans and mice as model systems, her work uncovers the fundamental biology of aging with direct relevance to human health.

Dr. Jang received her Ph.D. from The Rockefeller University in New York City and completed her postdoctoral training at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the University of California, San Francisco. Her research has been supported by fellowships from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research. She has also been recognized as a Leading Edge Fellow and an Early Career Scholar by the American Aging Association.

In her lab, Dr. Jang combines molecular genetics, brain imaging, behavior, and physiology to explore how aging reshapes brain circuits and motivation. Her long-term goal is to better understand why resilience declines with age and to guide new strategies that help people stay healthier and more independent later in life.