Dr. Zieff studies how exercise impacts the psychological and biological stress responses.
Dr. Gabriel Zieff (he/him) is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Joelle LeMoult‘s Depression, Anxiety, and Stress (DAS) Lab. Dr. Zieff also works with Dr. Eli Puterman in the Fitness, Aging, and Stress Lab. He enjoys integrating exercise, physiology, and mental health in his research.
Dr. Zieff examines how long-term stress can change the elasticity of our blood vessels and its impact on the risk of cardiovascular disease. He studies how lifestyle factors affect cardiometabolic and mental health—and the role of psychological stress as a contributing factor to various diseases.
Outside of the lab, Dr. Zieff enjoys exercising outdoors, playing music, and eating dark chocolate.
In this Q&A, Dr. Zieff shares his motivation to pursue his fellowship at UBC, the inspiration behind his research, and advice for aspiring researchers.
What are your research interests?
Stress physiology, lifestyle factors, health and well-being.
What led you to pursue this research?
My graduate training was focused on how lifestyle, aging, and disease impact arterial structure and function.
Can you tell us about any new research that you’re working on?
We are currently working on a project trying to better understand how exercise timing impacts the psychological and biological stress responses.
Can you give us an example of this research in our daily lives?
Better understanding the elasticity of our blood vessels can help clinicians identify elevated cardiovascular disease risk.
What inspired you to pursue psychology?
My love of science.
What advice would you give to aspiring researchers?
Get involved in a lab as a research assistant, learn about the research process, and develop professional relationships!
Research graphic credits: Nika Moradi