Dr. Urschel’s research program uses innovative isotopic and molecular techniques to study protein metabolism in horses, with two areas of focus: 1) characterizing the signaling pathways that regulate muscle mass in horses across the lifespan and 2) defining essential amino acid requirements in horses with the goal of optimizing protein and amino acid nutrition across the lifespan.

Dr. Urschel's primary teaching responsibility is ASC 325, Animal Physiology, a course that she has taught since Fall 2009. This course is a required course for students in the Animal Science program, an emphasis area course for students in the Equine Science and Management program, an approved elective for students in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science and the Sustainable Agriculture and Community Food Systems programs. This course is also frequently taken by students in the Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology program. She currently teaches this course in person in the Fall and Spring semesters and asynchronously online in the Summer semester.