Waylon Hastings is postdoctoral research scientist in the Behavioral and Neurogenetics Laboratory at Tulane University School of Medicine. He is also affiliated with the Telomere Research Network, and received a 2020 pilot a ward for his work comparing measures of absolute telomere length and a methylation based estimator of telomere length in a cohort of maltreated children. His current research focuses on interrelations among various approaches toward the quantification of ‘biological age’ in humans. His mission is the development of effective means to trace individual differences in the rate of biological aging to inform future interventions aimed at increasing healthspan. 

After completing undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry, Genetics, and Mathematics from Texas A&M University, Waylon earned his PhD in Biobehavioral Health and Bioethics from Pennsylvania State University.