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Radical View • Allan Butterield, Ph.D.

by Sumitra Miriyala, Ph.D., LSU Health Sciences Center

would want to pursue in an academic career. about cell membranes (after learning about

I joined the Department of Chemistry at the them from eminent biochemists at Duke) and

University of Kentucky in 1975 and was he taught me about magnetic resonance.

promoted to Full Professor in 1983. With the Prof. Chesnut was completely comfortable

help of many talented people in my laboratory with he and I being teachers of each other,

and with collaborations all over the world, which is one way I currently teach my own

our laboratory has had extramural funding Ph.D. students. Lastly, the late William

since I came to UK and has published over Markesbery, professor of neurology and

Allan
580 refereed scientiic papers.
neuropathology at the University of Kentucky,

taught me innumerable aspect of Alzheimer
BUTTERFIELD
I believe my interest in science began in the

disease and hopefully I taught him aspects
small town in Maine in which I was reared.
of how chemical principles can explain brain
The only professional person in my town of
function.
DOT: Tell us about your background and 500 people was a pharmacist. I reasoned that

when did you realize you were interested in to be a pharmacist one had to understand The most important factors that shaped

science?
chemistry, so about the age of 10 I started to my career undoubtedly included the great

read about chemistry wherever I could ind fortune of having so many talented graduate
I graduated with a B.A. in chemistry from
information.
and undergraduate students, postdoctoral
the University of Maine. At the time of
scholars and visiting scientists in my
graduation in 1968, a time of great turmoil DOT: Who has been your greatest teacher?
laboratory, coupled with the equally good
in our country, I became a conscientious What do you think the most important factors
fortune of starting my academic career at UK,
objector to the war in Vietnam, and served that shaped your career?
an institution that highly values collaboration.
the obligatory alternative service as a
Actually, I have had three great teachers The latter enabled me to form friendships

teacher of African students in the apartheid in the past. Prof. Robert Dunlap at the
and collaborative research interactions with
country of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). While University of Maine brought to life the notion
many gifted scientists and physicians.
in Africa, and with a kerosene lamp for light, that physical chemistry was an exquisite

I studied chemistry and read the Journal of DOT: Briely describe your research interests
discipline with which one could understand
the American Chemical Society each night and what is the most notable research
essentially all aspects of chemistry, and he
in order to stay abreast of the latest issues achievement from your lab?
was the irst to introduce me to the idea of
in chemistry. Duke University held a position
scientiic research, which I performed as an Our laboratory studies oxidative stress
for me for three years until I returned to the
undergraduate under his aegis. Prof. Donald in brain of subjects with age-dependent
USA, and I completed my Ph.D. in physical
Chesnut at Duke University, a renowned neurodegenerative disorders, particularly
chemistry in just over 2 and one-half years.
theoretician and my Ph.D. advisor, led me on Alzheimer disease (AD), and in models of
I submitted my irst NIH proposal for a NIH
a highly intellectually stimulating journey of chemotherapy induced cognitive impairment
postdoctoral fellowship, and with that funding
dissertation research in which I taught him
(CICI). Three achievements/discoveries tell

learned about neuroscience, a ield I knew I

SFRBM Newsletter // June 2014 // Radical View • Dr. Allan Butterield

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