Stephan J. Guyenet is the founder and director of Red Pen Reviews and is also a reviewer. He received a BS in biochemistry from the University of Virginia and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Washington. During his twelve years of scientific research, he studied neurodegenerative disease, aging, and ultimately the brain regulation of eating behavior and body fatness. His research was funded by the US National Institutes of Health. His scientific publications have been cited more than 4,300 times.

Stephan wrote The Hungry Brain, a general-audience book about the neuroscience of overeating and body fatness. The Hungry Brain was named a 2017 Publishers Weekly book of the year and was called “essential” by The New York Times.

Stephan is the co-creator of the Ideal Weight Program, a course-based weight management program that focuses on building and maintaining slimming and healthy behaviors. The Ideal Weight Program is flexible, empirical and not based on a specific dietary viewpoint, such as low-fat, low-carbohydrate, or vegetarian diets. Stephan has received revenue from the program, but does not currently.

Stephan has been a member of the Obesity Society, the American Diabetes Association, the American Society for Nutrition, and the Ancestral Health Society. In 2014, he was paid by the Dairy Farmers of Canada to orally present the findings of a review paper he had previously written and published without industry funding or involvement. He has no other conflicts of interest with the food, supplement, or pharmaceutical industry.

Stephan is a senior researcher at GiveWell, a nonprofit organization that deeply researches charities to identify the most cost-effective giving opportunities in the world.

Stephan eats an omnivorous, whole-food-based diet that is inspired by what his distant agricultural ancestors may have eaten. He enjoys growing some of his own food. He uses his bicycle or his feet rather than his car whenever possible. He and his family live in the Seattle area.