Newswise — A renowned researcher who holds seven U.S. patents and has authored more than 250 scientific publications has joined Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science as the new chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Gregg Fields, whose research focuses on the use of chemical approaches to better understand how protein three-dimensional structures influence cellular and enzymatic behaviors, also will serve as the director of the Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.
Fields has participated in 13 National Institutes of Health R01 grants, either as principal investigator or co-principal investigator, and has presented nearly 200 invited lectures. His appointment is effective mid-December, and he will be based primarily on FAU’s John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter.
Fields previously served as the chemistry and biochemistry department’s chair from 2000-2008 and has since worked with several top organizations in his field, including Scripps Florida, the H. Lee Moffit Comprehensive Cancer at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Most recently he was vice president for scientific affairs at the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies in Port St. Lucie.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Fields back to the College of Science,” said Russ Ivy, interim dean of FAU’s College of Science. “He is an exemplary scientist and leader. His strong research background and relationships with partners such as Scripps Florida and Torrey Pines will help the College of Science offer expanded opportunities to our students and faculty.”
In his role as chair, Fields will be responsible for administration, management, evaluation and budgetary concerns for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, which serves more than 5,000 FAU students annually.
In addition to these duties, Fields will leverage his experience and existing relationships with partners such as Scripps Florida, Torrey Pines and Max Planck to create research opportunities for faculty and students.
Fields said FAU represents enormous potential for student and faculty researchers to work with some of the world’s top scientists.
“I am truly excited to work with the faculty and staff of the College of Science,” Fields said. “I look forward to building even stronger relationships with our research partners on the Jupiter campus.”
Fields received a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Florida and a doctorate from Florida State University. He was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Francisco.
Fields joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota in 1991, and in 1997 moved to FAU as professor of chemistry and biochemistry, later serving eight years as chair of the department. In 2008, Fields became a Robert A. Welch Foundation Distinguished University Chair in Chemistry in the Department of Biochemistry at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
He later moved to the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies in Port St. Lucie, where he was director of research and distinguished chair of metalloproteinase and multiple sclerosis research.
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About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of three signature themes – marine and coastal issues, biotechnology and contemporary societal challenges – which provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
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