Rate My Professor Robert Hart

Dr. Robert Hart serves as a Lecturer in Physiology/Endocrinology and Biomedical Science within the School of Science and Technology at the University of New England (UNE). He obtained his Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Physiology in 2010 and his PhD in 2016 from UNE. His doctoral thesis, titled "The Pharmacokinetics and Metabolic Physiology of Leptin," examined leptin's pharmacokinetics in male and female mice at physiologic doses, metabolic effects via indirect calorimetry, distribution to major targets including liver, kidneys, skin, digestive tract, and reproductive organs, and developed a predictive nine-compartment model. Throughout his Honours and PhD candidature, Hart taught practical classes in various biomedical subjects. In the later part of his PhD, he was employed as an Associate Lecturer in Human Biology and Physiology. He joined UNE in 2015 as a Lecturer in Biomedical Science, delivering physiology-based content into units for degrees in Biomedical Science, Pharmacy, Medicine, and Nursing, and currently coordinates the Bachelor of Biomedical Science.

Hart's primary research areas are endocrinology, reproduction, and systems physiology, focusing on hormonal regulation of homeostasis, pharmacokinetics, and the gut microbiome. He has supervised higher degree students in studies on nutrition and reproduction, metabolism and reproduction, and exercise in the management of polycystic ovarian syndrome. Key publications include "Leptin pharmacokinetics in male mice" (Endocrine Connections, 2017), "Gut microbiome and depression: What we know and what we need to know" (Reviews in the Neurosciences, 2018), "GDF15, an update of the physiological and pathological roles it plays: A review" (Pflügers Archiv, 2020), several systematic reviews and meta-analyses on maternal low-protein diet effects on male fertility and reproductive outcomes in rats (e.g., Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, Nutrition and Health, Journal of Animal Science, 2020), and "Role of corticosteroids in skin physiology and therapeutic potential of an 11β-HSD1 inhibitor: A review" (International Journal of Dermatology, 2024). He also contributed the chapter "Gut Microbiome and Depression: Bidirectional Communication and Implications for Treatment" to The Oxford Handbook of the Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis (2020).