Jacob (Yakov) Selhub, PhD

Jacob (Yakov) Selhub, PhD

1937 – 2026

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Jacob Selhub was born in Libya in 1937 and lived a life of extraordinary scope — from the North African coast to the halls of American science, from the rivers of Maine to the shores of Israel — always on his own terms.

A Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry and Professor Emeritus at Tufts University, Dr. Selhub spent decades as Senior Scientist and Laboratory Director of the Vitamin Metabolism Laboratory at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. His work on folate metabolism and homocysteine earned him more than 158,000 citations — a body of research that reshaped how medicine understands cardiovascular disease, neurological health, and aging itself. He was one of the foremost nutritional scientists of his generation, and he never stopped. He was helping write papers until the very end.

To know Jacob Selhub was to know a man of enormous force. He was generous and he was stubborn, and he made no particular distinction between the two. He had his rules, his way, and he held to both without apology. He cooked. He fished in Maine. He listened to podcasts on biblical history because his curiosity had no retirement date. He held Israel close throughout his life.

He was driven by his fierce commitment to his family and to the advancement of science.

He was the beloved son of Julia and Eliyahu Selhub and the oldest of eight children. He is survived by his beloved wife, Shirley Selhub; his children Julie Selhub, Eva Selhub, and Eliya Selhub; his daughter-in-law Laura Kavanaugh; his granddaughter Maia Selhub; his grandson Jacob Ezra Selhub, who carries his name forward; and five of his seven siblings, still living in Israel, with whom he remained in close contact throughout his life.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at 2:00 PM at Agudath Israel Cemetery at 776 Baker St., West Roxbury.  Shiva will be at the Selhub residence from 4-8 PM until Sunday, May 31.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Jacob Selhub’s memory may be made to the Jewish National Fund in support of Israel.