We congratulate Dr. Robert V. Farese Jr., Professor of Cell Biology at HMS, who was named Chair of the Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, effective January 1, 2019. He follows the leadership of Dr. Gökhan Hotamışlıgil, who served as chair of the department for 15 years.

Bob's research focuses on the structure and mechanism of lipid synthesis and storage in cellular membranes and the function of lipids in energy metabolism. He and his team discovered DGAT enzymes, which synthesize fat, and they research how this enzymatic pathway operates in physiology and diseases. Because excessive accumulation of fats and lipids underlies many metabolic diseases, his work has major implications for understanding and treating metabolic diseases, such as atherosclerosis, obesity, and diabetes. Since joining Harvard in 2014, he has operated a joint laboratory with his scientific partner, Dr. Tobias Walther, who is also a faculty member of the School of Public Health as well as a Professor of Cell Biology at HMS.

Learn more about Bob’s research here.