Robert J. Denver, Ph.D., professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology (MCDB) and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB) in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, retired from active faculty status on December 31, 2021.

Professor Denver received his B.S. degree from Rutgers University in 1984 and his Ph.D. degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1989. He conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, the University of California, Berkeley, and the National Institutes of Health. He joined the University of Michigan faculty as an assistant professor in 1994, and was promoted to associate professor in 2000, and professor in 2006. He served as associate chair for undergraduate studies (2002-05), associate chair for research and facilities (2013-14), and chair (2014-19) of MCDB. As chair, he was instrumental in the design, construction and habitation of the Biological Sciences Building.

During his academic career, Professor Denver taught courses for undergraduate and graduate students in introductory biology, animal physiology, endocrinology and experimental design. He played a central role in the establishment of the Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience. Professor Denver’s scholarly work is internationally recognized for discoveries on the molecular mechanisms of hormone action during brain development, and the pivotal roles of hormones in mediating the interaction between genes and the environment. His research has spanned topics from molecular neuroscience to evolutionary ecology. During his career, he published over 130 scientific articles, and he was very active in scientific societies and editing scientific journals. He co-founded and served as first president of the North American Society for Comparative Endocrinology and he was president of the International Federation of Comparative Endocrinological Societies. He served on grant proposal review panels for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, and on scientific advisory panels for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2018, he was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The Regents now salute this distinguished faculty member by naming Robert J. Denver, professor emeritus of molecular, cellular and developmental biology and professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology.