Dr. John P. Doucet is Dean of the College of Sciences and Technology and Director of Coastal Initiatives at Nicholls State University.  Dr. Doucet joined the faculty of Nicholls in 1997 and is now Professor of Biological Sciences, McIlhenny Professor of Human and Environmental Genetics, and Alcee Fortier Distinguished Professor.  Over the years, he has conducted an active research program focused on the molecular genetics and public health of Louisiana populations.  His academic background includes the B.S. in Chemistry from Nicholls, the Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from LSU Medical Center in New Orleans, two NIH postdoctoral fellowships in Human Molecular Genetics, and graduate certification in Public Health Genomics from Sarah Lawrence College in New York.  At Nicholls, he has been awarded the Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence and has been named Alcee Fortier Distinguished Professor, the top honorific title at the university.  At LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, he holds adjunct appointments in the Department of Genetics and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Doucet was born and raised in Golden Meadow, Louisiana, where he attended town elementary schools in preparation for graduation from South Lafourche High School.  He is invested in leadership and leadership development in the community, having been elected Chairman-of-the-Board of Leadership Lafourche, Inc., for three terms, as well as graduating from its charter class.  He has also served on the boards of the Lafourche Heritage Society, the Cheniere Hurricane Centennial, Lafourche Hospital Service District No. 2, and the Lafourche Parish Tourist Commission.  Beyond the university service region, he has served as President of the Louisiana Academy of Sciences, as President of the Louisiana Collegiate Honors Council, and on committees of both the National Collegiate Honors Council and the American Society of Human Genetics.

In addition to writings in the area of science, the humanities, and teaching, Doucet is an award-winning playwright, having penned 13 plays set mostly in the historical wetlands of southeastern Louisiana.  He is also author of A Local Habitation and a Name: Poems from the Lafourche Country and the forthcoming A Grumble of Pugs: Epigrams and Short Poems.  He has given readings of original science poetry at venues across the state and the U.S.  He is also co-editor of the history-culture collections Lafourche Country II and Lafourche Country III, as well as senior editor of the Proceedings of the Louisiana Academy of Sciences.