Alumnus Lt. Col. Jeffrey Froude to Give Chemistry Seminar on April 6

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry will host Lt. Col. Jeffrey Froude, Ph.D., as part of the spring 2026 seminar series. The seminar will take place from 3-4 p.m. Monday, April 6, in CHEM 144. There will be a reception following the talk in CHEM 105.

The title of his talk is, "The blueprint for a better antibody: Co-optimizing biophysical properties and function against critical pathogens."

Froude is chief of the Molecular Biology Division of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. His research interests include pharmacology, toxicology, immunotherapy, and infectious disease. His military education includes the Chemical Corps Officer Basic Course, Military Intelligence Tactical Transition Course, AMEDD Officer Advanced Course, Acquisition training (Lv3 T&E), CWMD Advisors Course, and he is a resident graduate of Command and General Staff College. He has published over 50 manuscripts, book chapters, patents, and abstracts.

Biography: Lt. Col. Jeffrey Froude first joined the Oklahoma National Guard as an artilleryman in 1997 and served concurrent to obtaining his B.S. in chemistry at Cameron University. He served a variety of artillery enlisted functions before attending the Oklahoma National Guard Officer Candidacy School, commissioning into the Chemical Corps and transition training into the intelligence branch. He attended the University of Arkansas where he completed his Ph.D. in chemistry in 2008, concurrent to his duties in the National Guard.

Following his commission, Froude served as the chemical and intelligence officer 142nd Fires. During this time, he served in multiple state efforts before taking command of HHB 142nd Fires. As the battery commander, he deployed to Iraq in support to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007. After his command, he was appointed as Brigade S2 supporting C-IED efforts in MND-N Iraq. In 2008, he accepted a direct commission in the Medical Service Corps as a 71B biochemist. He first served as a scientist in the Toxicology Division of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) characterizing toxin vaccines.

In 2010, he served as a liaison in France where he developed therapeutics to Ebola viruses before returning to USAMRIID in 2013 to serve as the OIC of Viral Biology. Froude's work transitioned in 2015 from research to clinical alignment through a fellowship at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), with a detail to the FDA. In 2017, he became a program manager, and then military deputy, for medical countermeasure development at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

At the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, Froude became the director of the Pilot Bioproduction Facility at WRAIR, the DoD's only cGMP biologics manufacturing facility, supporting the DoD response. In 2022, HQDA requested Froude to be re-assigned to HQ Department of the Army DCS G-3/5/7 to serve as the Army Biodefense Planner, supporting both the Army Biodefense Strategy as well as the Army's position on the SECDEF's Biodefense Posture Review. Most recently from 2023-2025, Froude served as the commander of the Forensic Toxicology Drug Testing Lab in Tripler, Hawaii. He continues to serve as an expert witness for the Office of Drug Demand Reduction.

Froude's military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (6OLC), Army Commendation Medal (1OLC), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2OLC), Reserve Component Achievement Medal, GWOTSM, Armed Forces Service Medal, OSR (2nd), the Expert Field Medical Badge, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Meritorious Unit Citation, Army Superior Unit Award (OLC), the Knowlton Award for Military Intelligence, Order of Military Medical Merit, Army Staff Identification Badge, German Military Efficiency Badge (Gold), and being the first U.S. officer to receive the French Health Service Medal of Honor.