Michael Botchan named dean of biological sciences

Michael Botchan, interim dean of the Division of Biological Sciences in the College of Letters and Science at UC Berkeley, has been appointed to be permanent dean of the division. He has held the position on an interim basis since July 1, 2016.

Michael Botchan

In a message to the campus community, Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost and Chancellor-designate Carol Christ said Botchan will continue to have direct responsibility for the Department of Integrative Biology, the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, and the Physical Education Program, overseeing 123 regular faculty and total divisional expenditures of over $100 million. He will report directly to the executive vice chancellor and provost and will join the Council of Deans, serving as an important advocate for the biological sciences on campus.

Dean Botchan received his Ph.D. from Berkeley in 1972, and in 1980 was recruited to become an associate professor in the Molecular Biology Department. His scholarly work at UC has included contributions to virology and to unraveling the mechanisms of DNA replication.

He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is a fellow of the American Microbiology Society. At Berkeley, he has served as a division head and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. He chaired the biochemistry section of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and currently chairs the Medical Advisory Board at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

“Please join me in congratulating Dean Botchan on his appointment,” said Christ.