Jim Vigoreaux

Jim Vigoreaux
Nationality	American
Occupation	Professor of Biology
Employer	University of Vermont
Known for	Research on flightin protein and Drosophila flight muscle structure

Jim Vigoreaux is a professor of biology at the University of Vermont whose laboratory has spent decades investigating the molecular architecture of insect flight muscle, most notably the protein flightin found in the thick filaments of Drosophila melanogaster. His research combines structural biology, genetics, and biomechanics to understand how muscle proteins assemble and function, and he has also contributed to national conversations on diversity and mentorship within the STEM professoriate through his work with professional scientific societies.

Education

Vigoreaux pursued graduate studies in biological sciences, obtaining training that positioned him to conduct research at the intersection of muscle physiology and molecular biology. His doctoral and postdoctoral training focused on the biochemistry and genetics of contractile proteins, laying the groundwork for his subsequent career studying the Drosophila indirect flight muscle system as a model for understanding sarcomere assembly and function.

Career

Vigoreaux joined the faculty of the University of Vermont, where he has held an appointment in the Department of Biology for the majority of his academic career. At UVM, he established a research program centered on the molecular biology of muscle proteins, using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a genetically tractable model organism.

Over the course of his career at the university, Vigoreaux has secured substantial extramural funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health to support his research program. His National Science Foundation awards, totaling more than $3.28 million across eight grants, have funded investigations into the structural role of flightin in thick filaments, the molecular phylogeny of flightin and its relationship to the evolution of insect flight muscle, and the mechanics of flightin phosphorylation in thick filament assembly. These awards span from an initial grant received on May 2, 2001, for "The Role of Flightin in Thick Filament Assembly and Flight Muscle Mechanics," through a 2011 award focused on the structural role of flightin in thick filaments of Drosophila flight muscle.

In addition to his laboratory-based research funding, Vigoreaux has been involved in NIH-funded initiatives administered through the American Society for Cell Biology, focused on improving diversity and supporting career transitions within the scientific workforce. These NIH grants, totaling more than $2.6 million, reflect his engagement with efforts to broaden participation in STEM careers and to support early-career scientists through professional society programming.

Vigoreaux has also served in editorial and administrative capacities related to his research community, including contributions to the American Society for Cell Biology's broader mission around diversity, equity, and inclusion in the biological sciences.

Research

The central focus of Vigoreaux's research program has been the protein flightin, a component unique to the thick filaments of insect flight muscle. His laboratory has used Drosophila melanogaster to investigate how flightin contributes to the structural integrity and mechanical performance of the indirect flight muscles, which power the insect's wings during flight.

Research from his group has examined the phosphorylation of flightin and its role in thick filament assembly, work that has implications for understanding how post-translational modifications regulate muscle protein function more broadly. His laboratory has also pursued comparative and evolutionary questions, investigating the molecular phylogeny of flightin across insect taxa to understand how this protein and the flight muscle systems it supports have evolved.

More recent publications from Vigoreaux's laboratory have expanded into related structural biology questions. A 2021 paper published in the journal Biology examined the secondary structure of a novel myosin binding domain designated WYR and its implications for myosin structure, while a companion paper that same year addressed the contiguity and structural impacts of a non-myosin protein within the thick filament myosin layers.

Vigoreaux's group has also investigated the downstream physiological and behavioral consequences of manipulating basement membrane and muscle-associated proteins in Drosophila. A 2022 study posted to bioRxiv examined the down-regulation of Drosophila Glutactin, a cholinesterase-like adhesion molecule of the basement membrane, and its effects on development, adult function, and lifespan. Related work has explored aging and muscle function in the fly model, including a 2025 study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences that found β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate attenuates age-dependent loss of flight ability and extends lifespan in Drosophila.

Beyond structural muscle biology, Vigoreaux has contributed to behavioral research examining Drosophila courtship signaling. A 2018 paper published in Biology Open reported that female Drosophila melanogaster respond to song-amplitude modulations produced by males during courtship, connecting his structural expertise in muscle mechanics to questions of behavior and communication in the species.

Alongside his laboratory research, Vigoreaux has published on topics related to science education and professional development. He has co-authored reports on facilitating success for early-career STEM faculty using growth mindset approaches, as well as accounts of programs designed to help scientists accomplish career transitions into the professoriate and to obtain faculty positions at research-intensive institutions.

According to citation databases, Vigoreaux's body of published work comprises 77 papers that have collectively accumulated 2,168 citations, yielding an h-index of 29.

Recognition

Vigoreaux's sustained record of federal funding, including eight National Science Foundation awards totaling over $3.28 million and multiple National Institutes of Health grants exceeding $2.6 million administered through the American Society for Cell Biology, reflects recognition of his research program by national funding agencies over more than two decades.

His involvement in the American Society for Cell Biology's initiatives on diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as his contributions to BMC Proceedings reports on early-career faculty development, indicate a broader role within the scientific community focused on mentorship and professional development beyond his primary research output.

Publications

• Vigoreaux, J. et al. (2025). "β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate Attenuates Age-Dependent Loss of Flight Ability and Extends Lifespan in Drosophila." International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
• (2024). "ASCB statement of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion." Molecular Biology of the Cell.
• (2024). "Maximizing opportunities for success as an early career STEM faculty: a growth mindset approach." BMC Proceedings.
• (2022). "Down-regulation of Drosophila Glutactin, a cholinesterase-like adhesion molecule of the basement membrane, impairs development, compromises adult function and shortens lifespan." bioRxiv.
• (2021). "Contiguity and Structural Impacts of a Non-Myosin Protein within the Thick Filament Myosin Layers." Biology.
• (2021). "Secondary Structure of the Novel Myosin Binding Domain WYR and Implications within Myosin Structure." Biology.
• (2021). "Accomplishing Career Transitions 2019: facilitating success towards the professoriate." BMC Proceedings.
• (2021). "Obtaining a faculty position in STEM at a research-intensive institution." BMC Proceedings.
• (2020). "Soil and Water PB Education in the Time of COVID and Black Lives Matter."
• (2018). "Female Drosophila melanogaster respond to song-amplitude modulations." Biology Open.

External links

• University of Vermont, Department of Biology
• Jim Vigoreaux on Semantic Scholar
• National Science Foundation Award Search