Supriya Srinivasan, PhD, studies metabolism, and the brain-gut connection through experiments with Caenorhabditis elegans, or C. elegans. Though the worms are only about 1 millimeter long, much of their genome is also seen in humans, performing the same functions—including genes that control metabolism, the gut and the nervous system—making it an ideal animal for longevity studies. Due to the organism’s small size, it’s possible to perform genetic screening experiments quickly and precisely, keying in on individual genes and their functions. Srinivasan, an associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Scripps Research, hopes her work can help address the world’s metabolic and obesity crisis.