[This article by Dave Shelles first appeared on the Kennesaw State University website, republished with permission]

Kennesaw State University alumnus Ali Shilatifard ’89 has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, an internationally renowned association of scientists conducting cutting-edge research that advances society.

One of 120 American inductees for 2025, along with 30 international honorees, Shilatifard is the first KSU graduate to receive the recognition. Now the Robert Francis Furchgott Professor and chair of biochemistry and molecular genetics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Shilatifard earned his Bachelor of Science in Organic Chemistry from KSU.

“Kennesaw State opened the door for me to pursue an organic chemistry degree when other doors were shut,” Shilatifard said. “Not only did KSU open the door for me, but my professors, like Dr. Frank Walker and Dr. Linda Hodges, demonstrated a genuine interest and commitment to teaching their subjects, which kept me engaged and excited about the career I was pursuing.”

Heather Koopman, the dean of the College of Science and Mathematics (CSM), said Shilatifard’s legacy serves as motivation for KSU students to see what’s possible in the sciences.

“On behalf of the College of Science and Mathematics, I am sending warm wishes of congratulations to Dr. Shilatifard for this achievement, and for all that he has accomplished,” Koopman said. “CSM is proud to have played a role in his incredible success, and for being part of the early steps of his academic journey. He is an excellent role model for our current and future students.”

Shilatifard’s research focuses on the causes of childhood leukemia through chromosomal translocations. His laboratory has also discovered novel mechanisms underlying transcription elongation, the process of synthesizing RNA from DNA. Studies from Shilatifard’s lab linking epigenetic factors and transcription elongation control to malignancies have provided new therapeutic approaches for cancer treatment with drugs in clinical trials based on his studies.

Shilatifard overcame homelessness to succeed at KSU, then earned his doctorate from the University of Georgia and Oklahoma in 1994. He has served as a senior editor for the journal Scienceand the founding Editor for Science Advances. In 2023, he returned to KSU’s campus to deliver a lecture on epigenetics, the first time he had returned since his undergraduate days.

Also in 2023, he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from CSM and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. He is also the leader of the Cancer Epigenetics and Nuclear Dynamics Program at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit institution that was established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It recognizes achievement in science by election to membership, and, with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine, provides science, engineering and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations. With this year’s inductees, the Academy now has 2,662 active members and 556 international members.