Thomas N. Seyfried

Thomas N. Seyfried received his Ph.D. in Genetics and Biochemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana, in 1976. He did his undergraduate work at the University of New England (formally St. Francis College) and also holds a Master’s degree in Genetics from Illinois State University, Normal, IL. Thomas Seyfried served with distinction in the United States Army First Cavalry Division during the Vietnam War, and received numerous medals and commendations including the Bronze Star, Air Medal, and Army Commendation Medal. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Neurology at the Yale University School of Medicine, and then served on the faculty as an Assistant Professor in Neurology. Prior to receiving full professorship, Dr. Seyfried was an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Boston College. Other awards and honors have come from such diverse organizations as the American Oil Chemists Society, the National Institutes of Health, The American Society for Neurochemistry, and the Ketogenic Diet Special Interest Group of the American Epilepsy Society. Dr. Seyfried previously served as Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee for the National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association and presently serves on several editorial boards, including those for Nutrition & Metabolism, Neurochemical Research, the Journal of Lipid Research, and ASN Neuro. Dr. Seyfried’s research program focuses on gene environmental interactions related to complex diseases, such as epilepsy, autism, brain cancer, and neurodegenerative (the GM1 and GM2 gangliosidoses) diseases. Dr. Seyfried investigates many of these diseases from the perspective of, genetics, lipidomics, and energy metabolism. Much of his work also has direct translational benefit to the clinic. A list of Dr. Seyfried’s recent publications appear on his website in the Boston College Biology Department (http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/biology/facadmin/seyfried.html).