Paul Englund

Paul Theodore Englund (March 25, 1938 – January 12, 2019) was an American biochemist known for his work with parasites, and especially his research into the genetic material in the parasitic organisms that cause African trypanosomiasis, more commonly called sleeping sickness.

Early life and education Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, to Theodore, a mechanical engineer father, and Mildred, a homemaker mother, Englund grew up alongside brother Donald, a teacher and Robert, a doctor, as well as his cousin, the artist Joyce Reopel. He went on to study chemistry at Hamilton College, graduating in 1960; he then earned his doctorate in biochemistry at Rockefeller University, graduating in 1966. At the latter school, he studied with Nobel nominee Lyman C. Craig.

Career He received funding from the National Institutes of Health for his postdoctoral fellowship at the Stanford University School of Medicine where he studied with Nobel laureate Arthur Kornberg. In 2012, Englund was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

A prolific researcher, Englund published more than 190 scholarly articles, and his work has been cited more than 10,000 times. He is best known for his work with African trypanosomiasis, a potentially fatal disease that infects both human and animals, which is spread by the tse-tse fly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Personal life Englund died of Parkinson's disease on January 12, 2019.

Awards and memberships

Member of the National Academy of Sciences (elected 2012) Member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science