Martin Picard, PhD
- Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine (in Psychiatry, Neurology and the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center)
On the web
Overview
Martin Picard, PhD received his BSc Honours in neuroimmunology, and PhD in mitochondrial biology of aging at McGill University. He then moved to the University of Pennsylvania for a postdoctoral fellowship in the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine with Doug Wallace. There, he worked on mitochondria-mitochondria interactions, mitochondrial reprogramming of the nuclear (epi)genome, and mitochondrial stress pathophysiology along with Bruce McEwen at the Rockefeller University. He joined the faculty of Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) in 2015.
At CUIMC, Dr. Picard directs the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group, which investigates organelle-to-organism communication linking the human experience with molecular and energetic processes inside mitochondria. His laboratory has identified novel membrane structures for mitochondrial communication in rare mitochondrial diseases, showed that cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) is a psychological stress-inducible molecule detectable in blood and saliva, and developed a mitochondrial health index (MHI) to study the mind-mitochondria connection in immune cells and brain tissue. His group also has established that human hair greying is reversible and linked to life stress, developed a longitudinal cellular lifespan model that recapitulates trajectories of human epigenetic aging and allostatic load in vitro, and built MitoBrainMap v1.0—the first systematic map of mitochondria in the human brain. Dr. Picard’s translational research program has contributed to defining the diversity of mitochondria across the brain and body, and to longitudinally examining the link between stress, energy expenditure, and the rate of aging at the cellular level.
Martin’s life is dedicated to research, innovation, and communication in service of empowering individuals to achieve their full health potential. Through his research at CUIMC, he has bridged mitochondrial biology, bioenergetics, and aging science with psychosocial sciences, contemplative practices, and mitochondrial medicine, crafting a rigorous interdisciplinary research program. Building on the field of mitochondrial psychobiology he has pioneered, Martin now leads the emerging discipline of Healing Science. He is the author of the forthcoming book ENERGY (2027) and founder of the Energy and Healing Institute (EHI). Partnering with visionary leaders and domain experts, he develops large-scale, socio-scientific initiatives that drive cultural and scientific transformation toward a healthier, more compassionate, sustainable world.
His research on the link between energy, stress, aging, and health has been covered in The New York Times, Scientific American, The New Yorker, and on TEDx.
Laboratory website: https://www.picardlab.org
General website: https://www.martinpicard.energy
Academic Appointments
- Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine (in Psychiatry, Neurology and the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center)
Administrative Titles
- Columbia Translational Neuroscience Initiative (CTNI) Scholar
- Co-Director, Columbia Science of Health (SOH) Program
Languages
- English
- French
Gender
- Male
Credentials & Experience
Education & Training
- PhD, 2012 Mitochondrial biology of aging, McGill University
- Fellowship: 2015 University of Pennsylvania
Honors & Awards
- 2015 Fellow, Gray Matters at Columbia
- 2017 Research Fellow, Columbia University Aging Center
- 2017 Herbert Irving Scholar, Columbia Irving Institute (2017-2020)
- 2019 Neal E Miller New Investigator Award, ABMR
- 2019 NIH Rising Stars Lecture, NIH
- 2021 FABBS Early Career Impact Award, FABBS
- 2023 Herbert Weiner Early Career Award, APS
- 2023 Nathan W Shock Memorial Lecture, NIH/NIA
- 2024 Baszucki Prize in Science: Baszucki Group
- 2025 Hans Kupczyk Guest Professorship, Ulm University, Germany
Research
Research Interests
- Aging
- Brain Energetics
- Energy metabolism
- Mitochondrial Disease
- Mitochondrial Omics and Computational Biology
- Mitochondrial Psychobiology
Selected Publications
Picard M, Murugan N. The Energy Resistance Principle. Cell Metab 2025; 37(11):2107-2127
Mosharov EV, Rosenberg AM, Monzel AS, Osto CA, Stiles L, Rosoklija GB, Dwork AJ, Bindra S, Junker A, Zhang Y, Fujita M, Mariani MB, Bakalian M, Sulzer D, De Jager PL, Menon V, Shirihai OS, Mann JJ, Underwood M, Boldrini M, Thiebaut de Schotten M, Picard M. A human brain map of mitochondrial respiratory capacity and diversity. Nature 2025; 641:749-758
Kurade M, Bobba-Alves N, Kelly C, Behnke A, Conklin Q, Juster RP, Hirano M, Trumpff C, Picard M. Mitochondrial and stress-related psychobiological regulation of FGF21 in humans. Nat Metab 2025; 7(11):2212-2220
Cohen AA, Picard M, Beard JR, Belsky DW, Herbstman J, Kuryla CL, Liu M, Makarem N, Malinsky D, Pei S, Ying Wei, Fried LP, The SOH Group. Intrinsic health as a foundation for a science of health. Sci Adv 2025; 11(25):eadu8437
Shaulson ED, Cohen AA, Picard M. The brain-body energy conservation model of aging. Nat Aging 2024; 4(10):1354-1371
Kelly C, Trumpff C, Acosta C, Assuras S, Baker J, Basarrate S, Behnke A, Bo K, Bobba-Alves N, Champagne FA, Conklin Q, Cross M, De Jager P, Engelstad K, Epel A, Franklin SG, Hirano M, Huang Q, Junker A, Juster RP, Kapri D, Kirschbaum C, Kurade M, Lauriola V, Li S, Liu CC, Liu G, McEwen BS, McGill MA, McIntyre K, Monzel AS, Michelson J, Prather AA, Puterman E, Rosales X, Shapiro PA, Shire D, Slavich GM, Sloan RP, Smith JLM, Spann M, Spicer J, Sturm G, Tepler S, Thiebaut de Schotten M, Wager TD, Picard M, The MiSBIE Study Group. A platform to map the mind-mitochondria connection and the hallmarks of psychobiology: The MiSBIE Study. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2024; 35(10):884-901
Trumpff, C, Monzel A, Sandi C, Menon V, Klein H-U, Fujita M, Lee AJ, Petyuk VA, Hurst C, Duong DA, Seyfried N, Wingo A, Wingo TS, Wang Y, Thambisetty M, Ferrucci L, Bennett DA, De Jager P, Picard M. Psychosocial experiences are associated with human brain mitochondrial biology. PNAS 2024; 121(27):e2317673121
Rosenberg A, Saggar M, Monzel AS, Devine J, Rogu P, Mosharov EV, Junker A, Sandi C, Dumitriu D, Anacker C, Picard M. Brain mitochondrial diversity and network organization predict anxiety-like behavior in mice. Nat Commun 2023; 14(1):4726
Sturm G, Karan KR, Monzel AS, Santhanam BS, Taivassalo T, Bris C, Duplaga SA, Cross M, Towheed A, Higgins-Chen A, McManus MJ, Cardenas A, Lin J, Epel ES, Rahman S, Vissing V, Grassi B, Levine M, Horvath S, Haller RG, Lanaers G, St-Onge MP, Wallace DC, Tavazoie S, Procaccio V, Kaufman BA, Seifert EL, Hirano H, Picard M. OxPhos defects cause hypermetabolism and reduce lifespan in cells and in patients with mitochondrial diseases. Commun Biol 2023; 6(1):22
Monzel AS, Enriques JA, Picard M. Multifaceted mitochondria: Moving mitochondrial science beyond function and dysfunction. Nat Metab 2023; 5(4):546-562
Bobba-Alves N, Sturm G, Lin J, Ware SA, Karan KR, Monzel AS, Bris C, Procaccio V, Lenaers G, Higgins-Chen A, Levine M, Horvath S, Santhanam BS, Kaufman BA, Hirano M, Epel ES, Picard M. Cellular allostatic load is linked to increased energy expenditure and accelerated biological aging. Psychoneuroendocrinol 2023; 155:106322
Picard M, Shirihai O. Mitochondrial signal transduction. Cell Metab 2022; 34(11):1620-1653
Rosenberg A, Rausser S, Ren J, Mosharov EV, Sturm G, Ogden RT, Patel P, Soni RK, Lacefield C, Tobin DJ, Paus R, Picard M. Quantitative mapping of human hair graying and reversal in relation to life stress. eLife 2021; 10:e67437
Picard M, Sandi C. The social nature of mitochondria: Implications for human health. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 120(5):595-610
Trumpff C, Marsland AL, Basualto C, Martin JL, Carroll JE, Sturm G, Gu Z, Vincent A, Kaufman BA, Picard M. Acute psychological stress increases serum circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA. Psychoneuroendocrinol 2019; 106:268-276
For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov