Christopher Sargent Martens - US grants

Affiliations:

Marine Science

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

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Years	Recipients	Code	Title / Keywords	Matching score
1975 — 1978	Martens, Christopher	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Sources & Transport of Dissolved Gases in the Coastal Marineenvironment @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill	1
1978 — 1980	Martens, Christopher	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Biogeochemical Cycling in the Organic - Rich Coastal Environment @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill	1
1978 — 1980	Martens, Christopher	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Doctoral Dissertation Research in Microbially-Mediated Cycling of Volatile Fatty Acids in Anoxic Marine Sediments @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill	1
1980 — 2005	Martens, Christopher Albert, Daniel Alperin, Marc (co-PI) [⬀]	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Biogeochemical Cycling in the Organic-Rich Coastal Environment @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill This research is focused on quantitative studies of organic carbon diagenesis in rapidly accumulating coastal and upper slope sediments. The intermeshing goals reflect the central processes associated with accumulation and recycling of organic materials in all organic-rich marine environments. The goals are: 1) to quantify seasonal variations in the sources and input rates of organic matter to coastal sediments, 2) to understand the role of organic carbon source in controlling the rate and extent of organic carbon degradation, 3) to elucidate the role of bacterial assimilation of DOC ("secondary production") in the sediment carbon cycle, and 4) to determine the rates and pathways of organic carbon fermentation. Show summary Hide summary	1
1985 — 1987	Martens, Christopher	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Acquisition of a Chnos Elemental Analyzer For Nsf-Supported Marine Sciences Research in North Carolina @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill	1
1985 — 1988	Martens, Christopher	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Biogeochemical Cycling in the Organic-Rich Coastal Environ- Ment @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill	1
1985 — 1988	Martens, Christopher	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Production and Biogeochemical Role of Short Chain Organic Acids in Hydrothermally-Altered Sediments: Guaymas Basin @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill	1
1988 — 1991	Martens, Christopher	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Reu: Biogeochemical Cycling in the Organic-Rich Coastal Environment @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill The goals of this research are: 1) to identify processes controlling organic acid cycling associated with sulfate reduction and methanogenesis in organic-rich sediments: 2) to understand controls on seasonal and non-steady state variations in these processes; and, 3) to establish quantitative linkages between the electron accepting processes and the input and degradation of specific classes of metabolizable organic compounds. The research is divided into five sections: i) studies of low molecular weight organic acid turnover, ii) use of bacterial lipid ethers as tracers of microbial processes in anoxic sediments, iii) characterization of size classes and composition of dissolved organic carbon, iv) studies of temporal variations in organic matter delivery and degradation processes; and, v) studies of early diagenesis in upper slope sediments. The work will be carried out in nearshore marine, estuarine and upper slope sedimentary environments. Show summary Hide summary	1
1992 — 1995	Martens, Christopher Paull, Charles	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Acquisition of a Gas Chromatograph-Combustion-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer System. @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill This is a proposal to acquire a gas chromatograph-combustion- isotope ratio mass spectrometry instrument. The apparatus inclues a capillary gas chromatograph used to separate organic compounds, a combustion interface utilized to convert carbon compounds into CO2, and a sensitive isotope ratio mass spectrometer equipped with a triple collector, a mechanism to switch to a standard gas, and the electronics for simultaneous recording of major CO2 ions. Projects to be pursued include sedimenary biogeochemical processes that are driven by microbial transformations of organic matter; organic matter deposition occurring near the sediment-water interface; chemosynthetic pathways and the fossil record; and sources and fates of amino acids. Show summary Hide summary	1
2000 — 2004	Martens, Christopher Paerl, Hans [⬀] Alperin, Marc (co-PI) [⬀]	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	The Role of Sediment-Water Column Biogeochemical Feedback in Eutrophication Dynamics of the Neuse River Estuary, Nc @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill ABSTRACT The investigators will perform an exosystem-scale study of nitrogen-driven eutrophication in the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, in which linkages between externally-supplied ("new") nitrogen loading and its role in phytoplankton blooms, associated carbon flux and the resulting sediment oxygen demand (SOD) will be investigated. Specific aspects of the work will includ investigation of selective responses of bloom-forming phytoplankton groups to specifc forms of nitrogen from anthropogenic sources, the effect of these groups on SOD, and the impact of bloom mediated SOD on sediment-water column carbon and nitrogen fluxes. Additionally, the effects of bottom-water oxygen levels on sedimentary nitrogen cycling will be studied. The proposal was submitted in reponse to the Envirnmental Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry solicitation NSF- 99-9, and is being funded jointly by the Divisions of Ocean Science, Earth Sciences, and Chemical and Transport systems. Show summary Hide summary	0.915
2004 — 2006	Martens, Christopher Lindquist, Niels	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	N2 Fixation in Marine Sponges: a New Nitrogen Source For Coastal Ecosystems @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill ABSTRACT OCE- 0351893 Microbial transformations of nitrogen (N) strongly influence the dynamics and diversity of marine communities and ecosystems. Inputs of new N from N2 fixation are of particular interest. Many species of abundant marine sponges are known to host large and diverse microbial communities thought to fix N2, although few data support this assumption. In recent studies of stable isotopes of multiple sponge species in the FL Keys two basic groups of sponges were identified and differentiated by their d15N values. In addition to low d15N values, which are indicative of N2 fixation, one group had a 15N2 incorporation assay. In this study, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will focus on quantifying rates of microbial N2 fixation together with photosynthesis and respiration in low and high d15N sponges. Further comparative studies with low and high d15N sponges will use molecular biology techniques (e.g., 16S, nifH, DGGE, FISH analyses) to examine their microbial communities and to identify active N2-fixing microbes within test sponges. The team of scientists will also examine the dynamics of N2-fixing symbiont-sponge interactions throughout the sponge life cycle and estimate levels of new N export from sponges. After exploring a natural environmental gradient in the Florida Keys the study will be expanded to oligotrophic waters off San Salvador Island, Bahamas, in order to investigate how other environmental parameters, such as light levels, affect d15N values of sponges and rates of N2 fixation. This research will not only address the longstanding questions regarding N2 fixation in sponges and importance of sponges as a source of new N for coral-algal reefs and other coastal ecosystems but also broaden our basic understanding of the biogeochemical significance of marine microbial-invertebrate associations and how environmental factors control the rates of biogeochemical processes occurring within these systems. Show summary Hide summary	0.915
2006 — 2010	Martens, Christopher Lindquist, Niels	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Collaborative Proposal: in Situ Quantification of Sponge N Cycling in Coastal Ecosystems @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill ABSTRACT OCE-0624406 / OCE-0624703 In earlier NSF-funded investigations of nitrogen cycling in sponges, a research team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill demonstrated that sponges play a major role in the N budget of coral reef and other shallow water tropical ecosystems. Their in situ measurements of whole sponge respiration, water pumping rates and chemical fluxes indicate that previous studies based upon enclosure or laboratory experiments seriously underestimate net fluxes and cannot provide data needed to establish actual net fluxes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and other N species. Marine sponges strongly affect N cycling in coastal environments through pumping and filtering tremendous volumes of water while their hosted microorganisms affect a wide range of N transformations, including nitrification and dissolved and particulate organic nitrogen uptake and degradation, and potentially N2 fixation and denitrification, thereby adding or subtracting bioavailable N from coastal systems. Sponge DIN flux to overlying waters at Conch Reef, Florida Keys, is larger than any other benthic N source as should be the case for all coastal systems where sponges are abundant. With additional funding under this award, the UNC team will be joined by biogeochemical colleagues at the University of Hawaii in an effort he to quantify sponge impacts on coastal N cycles by (i) using in situ methodologies to construct accurate N budgets for sponges that will identify them as nutrient sources or sinks, and (ii) investigating environmental controls over sponge mediated N transformations. The net impact of sponges on biogeochemical N cycling in coastal environments is largely unknown. This new work will be the first to use in situ methods to quantify the nitrogen cycling in sponges and the resultant fluxes of DIN and DON from sponges. The project will have a number of broader impacts. The information gained in this study, although directly applicable to a subset of sponge species, will have broad implications for nitrogen biogeochemistry in coastal ecosystems with abundant sponges. A graduate and several undergraduate students will learn in both laboratory and field settings a spectrum of state-of-the-art techniques and instrumentation firsthand and, when the results are ultimately synthesized for publication, will benefit from participation in the exchange of ideas with established researchers from diverse fields. The University of Hawaii is a designated EPSCoR institution and a federally recognized minority serving institution, thus students from underrepresented groups are likely to be included as participants in the proposed research and will benefit from education activities stemming from the results of this research. Finally, using the University of North Carolina's established connections with Earth Eco International (Phillipe Cousteau, President) and the Science Under the Sea, educational projects, significant public outreach efforts will result including live web-based videoconferences from AQUARIUS with high school and middle school students across the country. Show summary Hide summary	0.915
2007 — 2012	Martens, Christopher Albert, Daniel Teske, Andreas [⬀] Macgregor, Barbara	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Microbial Carbon and Sulfur Cycling in the Hydrothermally Altered Sediments of Guaymas Basin @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill While microbial communities in marine sediments are generally sustained by sedimentation of organic matter from the water column, the Guaymas Basin hydrothermal sediments provide a model system for the microbial utilization and transformation of thermally released microbial substrates from deeply buried marine organic matter. As a working hypothesis, the physiologically distinct, layered microbial communities force the geothermally produced substrates through a double "microbial gauntlet" of anaerobic metabolism and autotrophic carbon fixation, where terminal anaerobic degradation of organic matter is performed by methanogenic and methane-oxidizing archaea, by sulfate-reducing bacteria and archaea, and potentially by novel subsurface archaeal populations within the upper sediments, while inorganic and organic remineralization products are assimilated by sulfur-oxidizing Beggiatoa mats at the sediment surface. This project will provide a quantitative understanding of how the dense and highly active benthic microbial populations of the Guaymas system utilize and recycle organic and inorganic carbon and sulfur of subsurface origin, how geochemical controls affect the community structure, and how uncultured, globally occurring subsurface archaea and bacteria thrive in their sediment habitat. To analyze the complex interplay of thermogenic and biogenic carbon sources and sinks, and the role of uncultured microbial populations in these processes, geochemical and molecular-biological approaches will be undertaken. The microbial community composition and activity patterns will be analyzed quantitatively. Carbon substrate profiles and microbial process rates (sulfate reduction, methanogenesis, methane oxidation) across hydrothermally active sediment sites will be measured and correlated to variations in microbial populations. The Guaymas Basin vents can serve as a model system for key linkages of the microbial and geological carbon and sulfur cycles, and shed new light on the roles of microorganisms as chemical catalysts of the marine environment and the marine subsurface. To tap into the great potential of Guaymas for teaching of biological-geological linkages in marine science, this project has initiated outreach projects with the Biodiversity Education and Public Outreach (BEPO) team and its Micros*cope resource at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, which also targets science educators and schools of non-english speaking minority communities. In addition, the Guaymas project will enhance undergraduate and graduate teaching, and provide hands-on research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. Show summary Hide summary	1
2010 — 2011	Martens, Christopher Albert, Daniel Teske, Andreas [⬀] Macgregor, Barbara	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Rapid: the Microbial Response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill Intellectual merit: This RAPID project will conduct a time series of microbiological and geochemical assessments of the consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill offshore the Louisiana coast. The PIs are building on a large database of pre-spill baseline microbiology and biogeochemistry at a microbial observatory (Mississippi Canyon 118) near the Deepwater Horizon site they have occupied since 2005. They are applying molecular, gene-based analyses of the microbial community structure and function in surface water and underlying sediments; in situ water column dissolved oxygen and light hydrocarbon measurements using advanced sensor technologies (Seaguard system) for deep water plume tracking; and a biogeochemical survey of the sediments and water in the immediate vicinity of and at increasing distance from the oil spill, and on different time scales during follow-up cruises. 16S rRNA and functional gene sequencing of total microbial DNA and RNA from contaminated and clean water and sediments will monitor how the oil-affected microbial community changes in composition and activity. High-throughput pyrosequencing of PCR-amplified rRNA fragments will increase the coverage by approx. three orders of magnitude, and allow for the detection of minority microbial populations that go unnoticed in conventional clone libraries. Special attention will be paid to the enrichment of oil-degrading bacteria in natural samples and in time-series experiments conducted in the lab, to monitor their growth with group-specific PCR, to monitor geochemical changes concomitant with the establishment and enrichment of a hydrocarbon-degrading microbial community, and to identify potential carbon incorporation pathways with stable isotope probing of nucleic acids. Summarizing, this RAPID project focuses on molecular and microbiological assessments of hydrocarbon impact, across the spatial and time scales of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as determined by diagnostic water column oxygen and light hydrocarbon measurements. The water column microbiological and dissolved gas data will be linked to potential impacts on the bacterial activity in bottom sediments through measurements of geochemical indicators of sedimentary anaerobic microbial activity, and porewater analyses of DIC, CH4 and low-molecular weight organic acids, the principal products of hydrocarbon degradation. The PIs are coordinating their research with Mandy Joye at the University of Georgia. Broader Impacts: The results of this RAPID project will identify which bacterial and archaeal populations, and in which sequence, respond to oil spill events in marine sediments and the water column, and the attendant - often beneficial - biogeochemical consequences of this massive restructuring of the microbial community and their activities. Most importantly, this project provides comprehensive microbial and geochemical coverage of different marine habitats (deep and shallow marine sediments, water column, surface) on the geographical and time scale of the oil spill as it is unfolding. This independent analysis will contribute to an observation-based and results-oriented reference database that, at present, the various interested players in the Deepwater Horizon saga cannot provide. The PIs are working on national publicity for our cruises and on-site work, by taking a National Geographic writer (Joel Bourne) on the current RV Walton Smith cruise, and interviews with Scientific American and National Geographic. The PIs have developed an extensive student-oriented outreach component that entrains - with a combination of teaching, lab internships, conference visits and virtual as well as real cruise exposure - undergraduates from different backgrounds into grant-driven research and gives them an early start on substantial, publishable research projects. The Martens lab has been active since 2005 in partnering NSF-funded research projects with science education and outreach programs that can influence and attract the next generation of oceanographers. Show summary Hide summary	1
2011 — 2015	Martens, Christopher Lindquist, Niels	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Collaborative Research: the Role of Sponges in the Coastal Nitrogen Cycle @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill Sponges dramatically alter ecosystem water quality through the combination of extraordinary pumping rates and rapid, dynamic biogeochemical transformations. Sponge communities are ubiquitous in marine environments and can inhabit over 40% of the benthic area in tropical ecosystems. In this project, a research team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and the University of Washington will continue their ongoing investigations of the importance of sponge nitrogen (N) transformations and fluxes in coastal environments through quantifying their role in the N cycle of Florida Bay, specifically the importance of these dominant benthic organisms in meeting the N demands of primary producers throughout the Bay. The team's previous research demonstrated that sponge dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) flux to overlying waters at Conch Reef, Florida Keys, was larger than any other benthic nitrogen (N) source. In choosing Florida Bay as their study area, the team will benefit from the wealth of available data concerning N sources and recycling, including estimated values for new N inputs, and quantitative sponge benthic biomass. By performing in situ sponge N flux measurements they expect be able to contribute information about a potentially important recycled N source that has not previously been quantified in N budgets. The overarching goal of this research is to establish the importance of sponge-mediated N cycling processes in Florida Bay where sponges are abundant, their biomass has been quantified at hundreds of stations and their key role in water filtration has been established, by quantifying rates and mechanisms of transformations of both dissolved and particulate organic nitrogen to DIN and N2 (nitrogen gas) by key sponge species, and elucidating controls on N2 production by natural factors such as sponge tissue dissolved oxygen concentrations. Broader Impacts: Sponges play a crucial role in the nutrient balance of coastal environments because they are abundant in tropical, temperate and polar habitats, they process tremendous volumes of water, and many common species host abundant and active microbial populations. Their impact on biogeochemical cycling in most environments, however, remains largely unknown. During this study, graduate and undergraduate students and a postdoctoral fellow will learn in both laboratory and field settings a spectrum of state-of-the-art techniques and instrumentation firsthand and, when the results are ultimately synthesized for publication, they will benefit from participation in the exchange of ideas with established researchers from diverse fields. Show summary Hide summary	0.915
2017	Martens, Christopher	K01Activity Code Description: For support of a scientist, committed to research, in need of both advanced research training and additional experience.	Nad+ Therapy For Improving Memory & Cerebrovascular Function in Patients With McI @ University of Colorado PROJECT SUMMARY CANDIDATE: Christopher R. Martens, Ph.D., is a fellow training in the integrative physiology of aging at the University of Colorado Boulder. In this K01 application, Dr. Martens aims to study the efficacy of a novel NAD+ boosting and calorie restriction-mimetic compound, nicotinamide riboside (NR), for reducing large elastic artery stiffness and blood pressure in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and to relate these outcomes to improvements in cerebrovascular, cognitive and neuronal function. His immediate goal is to acquire the research training and professional skills necessary to transition to an independent investigator. His long- term goal is to establish his own research program, with a focus on identifying strategies for improving cerebrovascular and cognitive/neuronal function and reducing risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in older adults. CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN: Dr. Martens proposes to enhance his career development by: 1) acquiring new skills in the assessment of cerebrovascular, cognitive and neuronal function to support his proposed research plan; 2) receiving training in aMCI and AD pathophysiology, geriatrics and biostatistics; and 3) refining his professional skills through formal course work, attendance and presentations at weekly journal clubs, university seminars, and national scientific meetings, and through regular interactions with his mentoring team. ENVIRONMENT: Dr. Martens will train in an outstanding aging research environment supported by a multi- disciplinary team of mentors who will provide him with research and career development training. The primary mentor, Dr. Seals, is an internationally recognized NIA-funded scientist with a strong record of successful mentoring in vascular aging research. Co-Mentor Dr. Hughson is a leading expert in cerebrovascular function and brain aging, and Dr. Bettcher has extensive experience assessing cognitive function in patients with aMCI. Dr. Banich is director of the neuroimaging center at CU-Boulder and has extensive experience with the proposed MRI-based assessments of neuronal function and structure. Dr. McQueen is director of biostatistics at the CU-Boulder Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC) and regularly provides mentoring and consulting to trainees and faculty conducting clinical trials. Co-mentors Dr. Potter and Dr. Schwartz are senior NIA investigators with expertise in AD and geriatric medicine, respectively, and their mentorship will complement the research training & objectives. RESEARCH: aMCI is the earliest symptomatic stage in the development of AD, which is among the fastest growing causes of morbidity and mortality in the US. Stiffening of the large elastic arteries (i.e., the aorta and carotid arteries) occurs with aging and has been linked to the development of aMCI and AD, primarily through the transmission of damaging pressure waves to the cerebral vasculature, resulting in cerebrovascular dysfunction and neuronal damage. The proposed research seeks to test the efficacy a novel CR-mimicking dietary supplement, NR, for lowering arterial stiffness in patients with aMCI and associating these changes with improved cerebrovascular, cognitive and neuronal function. Show summary Hide summary	0.961
2017 — 2018	Martens, Christopher	N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information	Rapid: Hurricane Irma Impacts On Nitrogen Cycling in Florida Bay @ University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill Availability of the nutrient element nitrogen generally limits the production of organic matter in Florida Bay and most other coastal ecosystems. In Florida Bay, approximately 90% of this primary production has been generated by seagrasses with another 10% generated by single celled algae and bacteria in the water column. Research completed prior to Hurricane Irma by the UNC-Chapel Hill team in collaboration with scientists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), has revealed that approximately half of the nitrogen needed by these primary producers is supplied by a huge sponge population that filters and decomposes freshly produced organic matter, then balances the nitrogen budget by efficiently recycling inorganic nitrogen back to the water column. The sponge community is capable of pumping and processing organic matter throughout the entire water volume of Florida Bay in less than a week, thus helping to maintain healthy seagrass communities and water clarity. The passage of Hurricane Irma may have profoundly altered the central Florida Bay ecosystem by causing tremendous losses of sponge and seagrass biomass and resulting changes associated with nitrogen cycling. This project will help to assess short- and long-term impacts of Irma through a quantitative assessment of sponge and seagrass biomass losses at representative locations, characterization of water column algal blooms, and measurement of changes to the nitrogen budget of Florida Bay. The overall goal of the proposed new work is to quantify potentially major changes in Florida Bay nitrogen cycling and nitrogen budgets associated with the passage of Hurricane Irma, using a combination of pre- and post-storm data from established study sites. The proposed new work builds directly on the team's recently completed investigations of the role of sponges in the overall nitrogen budget of the Bay plus the catastrophic impacts of algal blooms on nitrogen cycling in its central basins that feature water column residence times of days to weeks. The results of this previous work have important implications for sponge-rich ecosystems throughout the Caribbean and tropical Pacific plus many other coastal regions including Antarctic shelf environments where sponges comprise a major component of the benthos. Pre-Irma results include multi-year nitrogen surveys and time-series data, sponge and seagrass biomass surveys at key sites and algal bloom meta-genomics and bacterial count surveys have been conducted. This research will benefit from new collaborations between scientists at UNC-Chapel Hill and FWC laboratories in Marathon (FWC-M), where post-Irma sponge surveys will be made and in St. Petersburg (FWC-SP), where algal bloom meta-genomic studies will be conducted. Data from the Pre-Irma studies includes extensive dissolved nitrogen (DIN and DON) water column concentration and time-series measurements, determination of the role of sponges in organic C and nitrogen recycling rates and the nitrogen budget, multi-year (2013-16) associated sponge biomass surveys at our study sites by FWC-M scientists (2013-15) and algal bloom meta-genomic plus bacterial count studies during a bloom at one of those sites led by FWC-SP. Two graduate and two undergraduate students will participate in this project. Show summary Hide summary	1
2017 — 2020	Martens, Christopher [⬀]	K01Activity Code Description: For support of a scientist, committed to research, in need of both advanced research training and additional experience.	Nad+ Therapy For Improving Memory & Cerebrovasular Function in Patients With McI @ University of Delaware PROJECT SUMMARY CANDIDATE: Christopher R. Martens, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder. In this K01 application, Dr. Martens aims to study the efficacy of a novel NAD+ boosting and calorie restriction-mimetic compound, nicotinamide riboside (NR), for improving memory and cerebrovascular function in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). His immediate goal is to acquire the research training and professional skills necessary to transition from a postdoctoral fellow to an independent academic investigator. His long-term goal is to establish his own extramurally funded research program, with a primary focus on identifying therapeutic strategies for treating cerebrovascular dysfunction, improving cognitive function and reducing the risk Alzheimer's disease (AD) in older adults. CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN: Dr. Martens proposes to enhance his career development by: 1) acquiring new experimental skills in the assessment of cognitive and cerebrovascular function to support his proposed research plan; 2) receiving further training in MCI and AD pathophysiology, geriatrics and biostatistics; and 3) refining his professional skills development including formal course work, attendance and presentations at weekly journal clubs, university seminars, national scientific meetings, and Neurology and Geriatric Grand Round Series, and through regular interactions with his mentoring team. ENVIRONMENT: Dr. Martens will train in an outstanding environment supported by a multi-disciplinary team of mentors who will provide him with research and career development training. The principal mentor, Dr. Seals, is an internationally recognized and NIA-funded scientist with a strong record of successful mentoring in biomedical research pertaining to aging and vascular dysfunction. Co-Mentor Dr. Hughson is a leading expert in the assessment of cerebrovascular function and brain aging, and Dr. Bettcher is has extensive experience assessing cognitive function in patients with MCI. Dr. McQueen is director of biostatistics at the CU-Boulder Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC) and has extensive experience providing mentoring and consulting to trainees and faculty members conducting clinical trials. Co-mentors Dr. Potter and Dr. Schwartz are senior NIA investigators with expertise in Alzheimer's disease and geriatric medicine, respectively, and will provide mentorship to complement the research training & objectives. The mentorship team will provide specific expertise in key areas of the proposed research project and overall training plan. RESEARCH: aMCI is the earliest symptomatic stage in the development of AD, which is among the fastest growing causes of death in the US. aMCI is associated with impaired cerebrovascular function, which likely contributes to cognitive impairment and leads to increased risk of AD-related dementia. The proposed research seeks to test the efficacy a novel CR-mimicking dietary supplement, NR, for improving memory and cerebrovascular function in older adults with aMCI. Results from this study will provide insight into the efficacy of a potential beneficial therapy for preventing or delaying AD. Show summary Hide summary	0.961