FOREST MICROBIOLOGY: Justin Fay collects yeast samples in old-growth Allegheny forests, which yield diverse yeast lineages instrumental to his research on evolutionary genetics. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)
What a whirlwind year it has been in the Department of Biology! Our chair, Al Uy, has taken on the role of Interim Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, and I’ve stepped in as Interim Chair in the meantime. It is an honor to help support such a vibrant and talented community of biology students, faculty, and staff.
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Formed in 1848, AAAS is the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society and the publisher of leading research through its Science family of journals. Designation as an AAAS fellow is a distinguished lifetime honor within the scientific community. The latest class comprises 502 scientists, engineers, and innovators across 24 AAAS disciplinary sections.
Dragony Fu, an associate professor of biology, has been jointly appointed as the Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor.
Amanda Larracuente, a professor of biology, has been jointly appointed as the Nathaniel and Helen Wisch Professor of Biology. Larracuente retains her joint appointment as associate chair in the Department of Biology.
The University of Rochester will join the prestigious ranks of Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, elevating its work to uncover biological mechanisms of aging and finding answers to leading longer, healthier lives.
The National Institutes of Health Division of Aging Biology awarded Rochester a five-year grant to establish the Upstate NY Comparative Biology of Aging Nathan Shock Center. Rochester will receive nearly $1 million annually beginning in 2025 to fund the center.
J. Albert (Al) C. Uy, Dean’s Professor of Biology and current chair of the Department of Biology, has been appointed interim dean of the University of Rochester’s School of Arts & Sciences. He succeeds Duje Tadin, who has served as interim dean since August 2024 and previously held the position in the summer of 2023. Uy will will begin serving as interim on September 1 and will remain in that role until a permanent dean is appointed.
Karl Glastad, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, has been named a 2025 Packard Fellow by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The fellowship annually honors 20 science and engineering professors across the United States who are pursuing research early in their careers. Each fellowship is accompanied by an individual grant of $875,000, distributed over five years.
The Goergen Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching recognizes the distinctive teaching accomplishments and skills of faculty in the School of Arts & Sciences (SAS), the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (Hajim), and the Eastman School of Music (Eastman). The award aims to acknowledge the full scope of work that contributes to excellence in undergraduate education. It can be given for distinguished teaching in large introductory courses or advanced seminars. In addition to being given for superior classroom performance, it can recognize innovation in course design or teaching methods, the creative use of educational technology, the integration of research and teaching, the capacity to elicit superior work from students, or the mentoring of students in independent study projects and senior essays.
