Fred W. Turek
| Fred W. Turek | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | United States |
| Fields | Neurobiology, Sleep, Circadian rhythms |
| Institutions | University of Texas |
| Alma mater | Stanford University |
| Known for | study of sleep and circadian rhythms |
| Notable awards |
Guggenheim Fellowship (1991) Distinguished Scientist Award, Sleep Research Society (2011) |
Fred W. Turek is the Director of the Center for Sleep & Circadian Biology and the Charles & Emma Morrison Professor of Biology in the Department of Neurobiology, both at Northwestern University. Turek received his Ph.D from Stanford University. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1991.
Turek graduated from Stanford University, in Stanford, California, in 1973, receiving a PhD in biological sciences; he then completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas, where he studied in the Department of Zoology from 1973 to 1975.
He started working as an Assistant Professor at Northwestern University in 1975, where he still works to this day, serving as the Director of the Center for Sleep & Circadian Biology and as the Charles & Emma Morrison Professor of Biology in the Department of Neurobiology.
Presently, Turek's research interests revolve around the genetic, molecular, and neural basis for sleep and circadian rhythms. He focuses most of his attention on the role of sleep and circadian clock systems for energy balance, obesity, premature birth, gastrointestinal function, and depression specifically. The Turek laboratory investigates cellular events involved in the entrainment, generation, and expression of circadian rhythms arising from a biological clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus; the genetics of the circadian clock system; the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying the sleep-wake cycle; the effects of advanced age on the expression of behavioral and endocrine rhythms and on the expression of circadian clock genes; the links between sleep, circadian rhythms, and energy metabolism; the role of melatonin in sleep and circadian rhythms; and other topics regarding sleep and circadian rhythms.
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