Biography

Connor Martz, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Central Florida. His research examines the life course origins of biological aging, focusing on how social and environmental exposures shape chronic disease risk and contribute to health disparities. His current work investigates how early-life school and neighborhood contexts influence adult health and aging through epigenetic pathways. A central aim of his research is to identify intervention targets and inform policies to improve population health and reduce health disparities. 

Dr. Martz earned his Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science from Auburn University, followed by postdoctoral training in population health at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His interdisciplinary expertise bridges developmental psychology, social and life course epidemiology, and advanced quantitative methods. He has been recognized with multiple NIH fellowships and national honors, including the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award and selection as a Butler-Williams Scholar by the National Institute on Aging.