Lipids are stored within cells by specialized organelles known as lipid droplets (LDs), which sequester fats that may otherwise be toxic in the cytoplasm. LDs interact with other organelles (mitochondria, ER, lysosomes) and possess a unique proteome that dictates intracellular trafficking, LD-LD fusion, and recruitment of enzymes that breakdown lipid products within these organelles. Breakdown of LDs requires cytoplasmic lipases that are recruited directly to the LD surface from the cytoplasm, but LDs are also targeted by specific mechanisms of autophagy, a cellular “self-eating” process important for energy and survival during times of low nutrient availability. The goal of my laboratory is to uncover how these complex LD-catabolic mechanisms are regulated intracellularly, and how LD catabolism is impacted in metabolic diseases such as fatty liver.