UCI School of Biological Sciences

Last updated
UC Irvine Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences
Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences Monument Sign.jpg
Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences monument sign
TypePublic
Established1965
Affiliation University of California, Irvine
Dean Frank M. LaFerla (2014 – Present)
Address
5120 Natural Sciences II
,
Irvine
,
California
,
92697
,
United States

33°38′39″N117°50′43″W / 33.6442°N 117.8452°W / 33.6442; -117.8452
Website www.bio.uci.edu
UCI School of Biological Sciences

The Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences (formerly the School of Biological Sciences) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is one of the largest academic units at UCI devoted to research and education in the life sciences. The school was renamed in 2024 in recognition of a $50 million philanthropic gift from biotechnology entrepreneur Charlie Dunlop, founder of Ambry Genetics. [1]

Contents

The Dunlop School emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach across four departments — Developmental & Cell Biology, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, and Neurobiology & Behavior — unified by the school’s core philosophy of “Mind | Body | World." [2]

It is home to more than 4,000 undergraduate majors, 300 graduate students, and over 120 faculty members, conducting research in neuroscience, environmental science, molecular biology, developmental biology and related disciplines. [3] It is ranked No. 32 in U.S. News & World Report’s list of best graduate schools. [4]

History

The school was established in 1965, making it one of UCI’s original academic units. It initially consisted of four departments — Molecular & Cell Biology, Organismic Biology, Psychobiology, and Population & Environmental Biology — and 17 founding faculty members under the leadership of Edward A. Steinhaus, the school’s founding dean. [5]

On March 12, 2014, the School was officially renamed after UCI professor and donor Francisco J. Ayala by then-Chancellor Michael V. Drake. [6] Ayala had previously pledged to donate $10 million to the School of Biological Sciences in 2011. [7] The school reverted to its previous name in June 2018, after a university investigation confirmed that Ayala had sexually harassed at least four women colleagues and graduate students. [8]

On June 15, 2024, during the school's commencement ceremony, UCI announced that the school would be renamed the Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences in recognition of a $50 million gift from biotech entrepreneur Charlie Dunlop, to create an endowed fund for unrestricted support of academic and research activities. [1]

Leadership

Since its founding, the school has been led by the following deans: [5]

DeanYears of Service
Edward A. Steinhaus 1963 – 1967
James L. McGaugh 1967 – 1970
Howard A. Schneiderman1970 – 1979
Grover C. Stephens 1982 – 1986
L. Dennis Smith 1987 – 1990
Elvera Ehrenfeld1992 – 1996
Shin Lin1997 – 2000
Susan V. Bryant2000 – 2006
Albert F. Bennet 2007 – 2013
Frank M. LaFerla2014 – Present

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Biotech entrepreneur donates $50 million to UC Irvine School of Biological Sciences – UC Irvine News" . Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  2. ↑ "Dunlop School Vision". Dean LaFerla. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  3. ↑ "$50 Million Gift to School of Biological Sciences // Office of the Chancellor // UC Irvine". chancellor.uci.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  4. ↑ "U.S. News & World Report's Ranking for Biological Sciences Graduate Programs".
  5. 1 2 "History". Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  6. ↑ "UC Irvine's School of Biological Sciences renamed in honor of Francisco J. Ayala". 12 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "UC Irvine professor donating $10 million to school - latimes.com". Los Angeles Times . 2011-10-18. Archived from the original on 2011-10-18. Retrieved 2018-05-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ↑ "UCI proposes new name for School of Biological Sciences, science library after internal investigation substantiates sexual harassment claims against signature donor". UCI News (Press release). June 28, 2018.
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