Dr. Atwood received a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Texas at Dallas. He obtained his doctorate in Computer Science from the University of North Texas in 1986. He then had four years of post-doctoral training in Statistical Genetics at LSU Medical Center under Robert Elston, one of the founders of the field. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine.

Dr. Atwood is a senior geneticist on the Framingham Heart Study, which he joined in 2001. He is co-chair of the Framingham Genetics Steering Committee, director of the Framingham Genetics Data Management Group and director of the Framingham Genetics Laboratory. He is also co-director of SNP Health Association Resource (SHARe), a large project to search the entire genome for genetic variants that affect hundreds of traits that have been measured on the Framingham participants since 1948.

His primary research interest is the genetics of complex diseases, especially obesity.