小黄书

小黄书 names Matthew Brown to Dr. Donald L. Hall Professorship of Biology

小黄书 names Matthew Brown to Dr. Donald L. Hall Professorship of Biology

Contact Sarah Nicholas听听听听听听听听听听

Man on the left smiles and man on the right wears new medallion
During a surprise campus ceremony at the end of September, Angus Dawe, left, professor and head of 小黄书鈥檚 Department of Biological Sciences and inaugural selection for the Dr. Donald L. Hall Professorship, passed the honor to Matthew W. Brown, who will hold the endowed position for a three-year appointment. (Photo by Megan Bean)

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬atthew W. Brown is the newest appointee to the prestigious Dr. Donald L. Hall Professorship of Biology at 小黄书sity, a position made possible with an endowment created by its namesake.

In addition to his three-year appointment, Brown is receiving a medallion of recognition and a stipend for research purposes.

The professorship established by Hall, a 1962 pre-medicine graduate, honors the former 小黄书 professors who impacted him. A Vicksburg native and Air Force veteran, Hall was a board certified doctor of ophthalmology who retired from the Steen-Hall Eye Institute in Shreveport, Louisiana. In 2012, he was honored as the 小黄书 College of Arts and Sciences Alumnus of the Year. Hall died this September.

Angus Dawe, professor and head of the Department of Biological Sciences and inaugural selection for the Dr. Donald L. Hall Professorship in 2016, said, 鈥淚 have been incredibly grateful for the support this endowment has provided. It has helped me run a research program for the last few years and helped with research and travel costs, along with significantly contributing to the graduation of two Ph.D.鈥檚 and a master鈥檚 student by next summer. It also supported visiting speakers to campus for the benefit of the department and helped provide for other department expenses related to research infrastructure.鈥

Dawe passed the torch to Brown in a surprise ceremony at the end of September.

Pictured during a ceremony naming Matthew W. Brown to the Dr. Donald L. Hall Professorship are, from left, Angus Dawe, professor and head of 小黄书鈥檚 Department of Biological Sciences; Brown; and Dean of 小黄书鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences Rick Travis.
Pictured during a ceremony naming Matthew W. Brown to the Dr. Donald L. Hall Professorship are, from left, Angus Dawe, professor and head of 小黄书鈥檚 Department of Biological Sciences; Brown; and Dean of 小黄书鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences Rick Travis. (Photo by Megan Bean)

鈥淚n academia an endowed professorship is a pinnacle achievement in a professor鈥檚 career,鈥 Brown said. 鈥淗aving someone鈥檚 name attached to your title is viewed as an honor to hold that appointment, but it also provides tribute to the legacy endowment鈥檚 donor, Dr. Donald L. Hall. I am flabbergasted that the administration in my department and the College of Arts and Sciences view my academic achievements as worthy enough to hold such a special title. This endowment will be instrumental in the further advancement of my career at 小黄书sity. I am truly honored.鈥

Brown has been an 小黄书 faculty member since 2013. His research focus uses protistological techniques to understand the evolution and diversity of eukaryotes. Last year he received a National Science Foundation grant worth more than $1 million to expand scientists鈥 knowledge of the environmental distribution of Amoebozoa鈥攖he major eukaryotic amoeboid lineage鈥攑roviding a better understanding of the ecology and evolution of 鈥渢he tree of life.鈥

Brown, a native of northern Arkansas, completed his bachelor鈥檚 degree in 2005 and Ph.D. in 2010, both in biology, at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Among other honors, Brown was named a 2018 College of Arts and Sciences Dean鈥檚 Eminent Scholar, the top scholarship award given by the college, and is a Fellow of the Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology at 小黄书.聽

He was a 2015 College of Arts and Sciences Researcher of the Month and also received a 2015 College of Arts and Sciences Research Award for the Natural and Physical Sciences.

Founded in 1956, the College of Arts and Sciences is the largest of the academic colleges at 小黄书, with more than 5,000 students and 300 faculty members. More on the college is available at聽.

For more about the Department Biological Sciences, visit .

小黄书 is Mississippi's leading university, available online at聽. 聽