Darrel R. Falk (born 1946) is an American

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

. He is Professor Emeritus of Biology at

Point Loma Nazarene University Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a private Christian liberal arts college with its main campus on the Point Loma oceanfront in San Diego, California, United States. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the Church of the Nazarene ...

and is the past president and a current senior advisor with

BioLogos Foundation The BioLogos Foundation is a Christian advocacy group that supports the view that God created the world using evolution of different species as the mechanism. It was established by Francis Collins in 2007 after receiving letters and emails fro ...

, an advocacy group that emphasizes compatibility between science and Christian faith.

Education

Falk attended

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located ...

, originally planning to become a medical doctor. In his second university semester, he signed up for Introduction to Biology, Genetics, and Developmental Biology. Falk graduated from Simon Fraser University in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. He then completed his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...

in 1973.

Career and research

He did post-doctoral studies at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

(1973–74) and at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Franci ...

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

(1974–76). He was an Assistant/Associate Professor at Syracuse University from 1976 to 1984. Then a professor at Mount Vernon Nazarene College in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

from 1984 to 1988. Since 1988, he has been a professor at

. His research interests have included

molecular genetics Molecular genetics is a sub-field of biology that addresses how differences in the structures or expression of DNA molecules manifests as variation among organisms. Molecular genetics often applies an "investigative approach" to determine the ...

of ''

Drosophila melanogaster ''Drosophila melanogaster'' is a species of fly (the taxonomic order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the " vinegar fly" or "pomace fly". Starting with ...

'', organization of

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

s; and mechanism of repair of

chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

breaks. Falk is a Christian and believes in

theistic evolution Theistic evolution (also known as theistic evolutionism or God-guided evolution) is a theological view that God creates through laws of nature. Its religious teachings are fully compatible with the findings of modern science, including biological ...

. He is the past president (2009-2012) of The

, founded by geneticist

Francis Collins Francis Sellers Collins (born April 14, 1950) is an American physician-geneticist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He is the former director of the National Institutes of Health (N ...

, which seeks to find "harmony between science and biblical faith" by advocating for "an evolutionary understanding of God’s creation". He has authored a book on the

creation–evolution controversy Recurring cultural, political, and theological rejection of evolution by religious groups (sometimes termed the creation–evolution controversy, the creation vs. evolution debate or the origins debate) exists regarding the origins of the Eart ...

titled ''Coming to Peace with Science: Bridging the Worlds Between Faith and Biology'' (InterVarsity Press, 2004), with a foreword by Collins. He has been critical of the

intelligent design movement The intelligent design movement is a neo-creationist religious campaign for broad social, academic and political change to promote and support the pseudoscientific Article available froUniversiteit Gent/ref> idea of intelligent design (ID), which ...

and written about the movement frequently on The BioLogos Foundation's website.

Publications

*''Coming to Peace with Science: Bridging the Worlds Between Faith and Biology'' (InterVarsity Press, 2004) *''Affirming: The Brightening Lamp'' (with Arthur F. Seamans) (Point Loma Press, 2002)

References

External links

Point Loma Nazarene University BioBioLogos Foundation Bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Falk, Darrel 1946 births Living people American Christians American geneticists University of Alberta alumni Simon Fraser University alumni Point Loma Nazarene University faculty Syracuse University faculty Mount Vernon Nazarene University faculty Theistic evolutionists