John Tansey

Professor
Department of Chemistry

John Tansey has been a faculty member at Otterbein since 2002. He has taught courses ranging from the more general (General Chemistry, Survey of Organic and Biochemistry) to more specific (Advanced Biochemistry). He has also taught in the Nursing department and Integrative Studies, and Honors programs. He was awarded the ‘Best New Teacher’ award in 2004. He currently serves as the Director of the interdisciplinary program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB).

John is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts (B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) and Wake Forest University (Ph. D., Biochemistry). Following his Ph. D. studies, John undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health under Dr. Dean (Constantine) Londos. At NIH John was a key part of the team that produced a knockout mouse for perilipin as well as mutagenic studies of the perilipin A protein.

John’s current research interests are an outgrowth of his postdoctoral studies. Nearly all cells have the ability to store lipids but this storage is not without consequence. The work in the Tansey laboratory seeks to elucidate the role the PAT proteins play in lipid storage and disease. This work is almost exclusively conducted by undergraduates, many of whom have presented their work at national or international meetings.

John lives in central Ohio where he enjoys travel, time with family, and soccer.