David F. Clayton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
BS., Biochemistry
Ph.D., Molecular Cell Biology
David Forrest Clayton | |
|---|---|
 David F. Clayton | |
| Occupations | Neuroscientist, biochemist, and academic |
| Academic background | |
| Education | ABJ., Journalism BS., Biochemistry Ph.D., Molecular Cell Biology |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia Rockefeller University |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Clemson University Queen Mary University of London University of Illinois The Rockefeller University |
David Forrest Clayton is an American neuroscientist, biochemist, and academic. He is professor and the chair of the Department of Genetics & Biochemistry at Clemson University.[1]
Clayton is most known for his work on the interplay between the brain and the genome in regulating cognitive processes involved in the filtering, encoding, and retrieval of memories.[2] He pioneered the application of molecular genetics to research using songbirds as a model for learning, memory, and brain development[3] leading to whole genome sequencing of the zebra finch in 2010.[4] His research has contributed to topics ranging from neurodegenerative disease[5] to social behavior[6] and he coined the term “Genomic action potential” to describe the complex, structured genomic response to acute experience.[7] His research has been featured in newspapers including BBC News, The Wall Street Journal,[8] and Newsweek.[9]
Clayton completed his ABJ in Journalism from the University of Georgia in 1978. He then completed a Bachelor in Biochemistry in 1980 from the same institution. He pursued a Ph.D. in Molecular Cell Biology from The Rockefeller University in the laboratory of James E Darnell, Jr., which he completed in 1985. At Rockefeller he was introduced to studies of brain plasticity in songbirds by Fernando Nottebohm, with whom he then trained as a postdoc.[10]
Career
Clayton was appointed assistant professor of molecular neuroethology at Rockefeller University in 1986. In 1991 he moved to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he held multiple appointments including serving as an assistant professor from 1991 to 1996, associate professor from 1996 to 2002, and full professor at the department of cell and developmental biology from 2002 to 2012. Subsequently, he joined the Queen Mary University of London (U.K.) and served as a professor of neuroscience at the school of biological and chemical sciences until 2020. Since 2020, he has been holding an appointment as professor of the department of genetics & biochemistry at Clemson University.[1]
Clayton served as the associate director for undergraduate curriculum for the school of molecular & cellular biology (University of Illinois, 2002–2010), department head of biological and experimental psychology (Queen Mary University of London, 2012–2016) and has been the chair of the department of genetics & biochemistry at Clemson University since 2020.[1]
