Annette de Kloet

2014 - Post-doctoral Fellowship in Physiology - University of Florida
2011 - Ph.D. in Neuroscience - University of Cincinnati
2006 - B.S. in Chemical (Biomedical) Engineering - Florida State University (Magna cum laude)

Neuroendocrinology, Autonomic nervous system, Neural control of cardiometabolic processes, Stress, Stress-related behavior, Ingestive behavior, Interoception

Dr. Annette de Kloet is an Associate Professor in the Neuroscience Institute at Georgia State University.
Her scientific training began at an early age. Upon retiring from Florida State University’s Biology department, her father, with the assistance of her mother and three older brothers, started a biotechnology company. The company was initially focused on testing and research related to avian genomics and exotic bird diseases and Dr. de Kloet (Annette) was first exposed to conducting scientific research by working at this company throughout high school and college. In 2006, she received her B.S. in Chemical/Biomedical Engineering at Florida State University. She then completed her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati (2007-2011), where she studied the neuroendocrine control of energy metabolism and obesity under the guidance of Professor Stephen C. Woods. Afterwards, she worked as a post-doctoral fellow in Physiology (2011-2014) in the laboratory of Professor Colin Sumners, where her research sought to delineate mechanisms by which nervous system regulates cardiovascular function and contributes to hypertension. Prior to joining the Faculty at Georgia State University, Dr. de Kloet was Faculty in the Department of Physiology at the University of Florida, College of Medicine (Research Assistant Professor, 2014-2016; Assistant Professor, 2016-2023; Associate Professor with Tenure, 2023).
Dr. de Kloet’s research program has been continuously funded by the National Institute of Health and/or the American Heart Association and she is a member of several scientific societies (e.g., the Society for Neuroscience, the American Heart Association). She has also published her research in peer-reviewed scientific journals (e.g., Journal of Neuroscience), given invited seminars, and has served as an Ad hoc member of NIH study sections.

Research Interests
Dr. de Kloet’s research program aims to elucidate neural circuits that regulate cardiovascular function, energy metabolism and stress-related behavior and subsequently determine how these neural circuits become perturbed during environmental challenges (i.e., stressors) that precipitate cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity and hypertension. A particular emphasis is placed on the impact of endocrine systems (e.g., the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system, vasopressin, hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis) on these circuits and the broad goal is to not only understand mechanism(s) that contribute to metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, but also to ultimately inform novel therapeutic approaches to treat these pathologies. To accomplish this, her research program employs a multilevel approach that spans the use of several molecular, genetic, physiological and behavioral techniques. Some examples of the approaches used are: telemetry and indirect calorimetry, which are used to assess cardiovascular and metabolic parameters; optogenetics, neuronal tract tracing, mRNA in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry, which are used to characterize the structure and function of specific sets of neurons; and genetic recombination techniques, which allow for the manipulation of gene expression in specific cellular phenotypes.