Dr. Thomas P. Burris is the Director of the University of Florida Genetics Institute and Dean’s Professor in the Department of Cellular and Systems Biology in the College of Pharmacy. His area of research expertise is in chemical biology and drug discovery. He received undergraduate training in chemistry at Southern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in biophysics from Florida State University, followed by fellowships at Baylor College of Medicine and UCLA. Prior to joining UF, he held faculty positions at the Scripps Research Institute and Washington University. He also served as the William Beaumont Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology at St. Louis University School of Medicine. Prior to returning to academia, he spent a decade in the pharmaceutical industry (Eli Lilly & Company and Johnson & Johnson). He has published over 220 manuscripts and has garnered >$38MM in extramural funding since returning to academia in 2007. He has also founded several biotechnology companies, including Pelagos Pharmaceuticals, which is focused on the development of drugs that stimulate exercise pathways for the treatment of obesity, heart failure, and cognitive dysfunction. Dr. Burris is an elected fellow of the AAAS, the AHA, and the Academy of Sciences - St. Louis. He has twice been listed as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher.