Rate My Professor Kelly Glendining

Dr. Kelly A. Glendining is a Research Fellow in the Department of Physiology within the School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Health Sciences Division at the University of Otago. She earned her PhD and a Master of Science in Zoology from the University of Otago in 2005, with her master's thesis titled 'Royal manipulation of the dopaminergic system in worker honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)'. Her research focuses on developmental neurobiology, neuroendocrinology, and fetal programming, particularly examining how maternal obesity and prenatal androgen exposure affect offspring brain development, blood-brain barrier integrity, and reproductive axis function. Working in Professor Rebecca Campbell's laboratory at the Centre for Neuroendocrinology, Glendining investigates epigenetic predictors like the 'androgen clock' and the roles of androgen and progesterone receptors in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) models using mouse genetics.

Glendining joined the University of Otago as a Research Associate in the Department of Anatomy in November 2011 and advanced to Research Fellow in the Department of Physiology in June 2021. Her contributions include key publications such as 'Forebrain AR deletion restores PR expression but not reproduction in prenatally androgenised female mice' (Endocrinology, 2025, co-authored with Lott et al.), 'The androgen clock is an epigenetic predictor of long-term male hormone exposure' (PNAS, 2025, co-authored with Sugrue et al.), 'Maternal Obesity Modulates Expression of Satb2 in Hypothalamic VMN of Female Offspring' (Life, 2020), 'Maternal Obesity in the Mouse Compromises the Blood-Brain Barrier in the Offspring Arcuate Nucleus' (Endocrinology, 2016), and 'Queen pheromone modulates brain dopamine function in worker honey bees' (PNAS, 2007, co-authored with Beggs et al.). With over 1,060 citations on Google Scholar, her work has advanced understanding of hypothalamic development and metabolic influences on reproduction. She supervises doctoral students and presents at conferences including the New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress.