Dr. Kajimura aims to uncover the molecular basis of bioenergetics in health and disease. His lab has leveraged brown adipose tissue as a model to understand mitochondrial biology and energy balance because brown fat contains a large number of mitochondria. He made pioneering contributions to the identification of the master regulator of brown/beige fat development and its mechanisms of action. Subsequently, his laboratory discovered non-canonical pathways, termed the UCP1-independent pathway, by which brown/beige fat controls glucose homeostasis and energy balance independent of thermogenesis by uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1).
His research led to the widely accepted notion that brown/beige fat controls metabolic health beyond thermogenesis. Dr. Kajimura's work has been widely recognized, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the U.S. government, the Richard E. Weitzman Outstanding Early Career Investigator Award from the ENDO Society, Pew Scholar, and HHMI Investigator.