Buford L. Nichols, Jr. is professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and director emeritus of the Children’s Nutrition Research Center. His research focuses on regulation of the brush border enzyme, maltase-glucoamylase, which is required for final conversion of the products of starch digestion produced by salivary and pancreatic amylase into glucose for absorption. Nichols holds a BA in Sociology and a MS in Physiology and Biochemistry from Baylor University, and a MD from Yale University; he also holds an honorary doctorate in science from Universidad Francisco Marroquín.