The School of Biological Sciences is one of the
academic units of the
University of California, Irvine (UCI). The school is divided into four departments:
developmental and
cell biology
Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...
,
ecology and
evolutionary biology,
molecular biology and
biochemistry, and
neurobiology and behavior. With over 3,700 students it is in the top four largest schools in the university.
It is consistently ranked in the top one hundred in ''U.S. News & World Report’s'' yearly list of best
graduate schools.
[In 2013, the Francisco J. Ayala School of Biological Sciences contained 19.4 percent of the student population
]
History
The School of Biological Sciences first opened in 1965 at the University of California, Irvine and was one of the first schools founded when the University campus opened. The school's founding Dean, Edward A. Steinhaus, had four founding department chairs and started out with 17
professors.
On March 12, 2014, the School was officially renamed after UCI professor and donor
Francisco J. Ayala
Francisco José Ayala Pereda (born March 12, 1934) is a Spanish-American evolutionary biologist, philosopher, and former Catholic priest who was a longtime faculty member at the University of California, Irvine and University of California, Dav ...
by then-Chancellor
Michael V. Drake
Michael Vincent Drake (born July 9, 1950) is an American university administrator and physician who is the 21st president of the University of California. From 2014 to June 2020, he was the 15th president of Ohio State University. From 2005 to 2 ...
. Ayala had previously pledged to donate $10 million to the School of Biological Sciences in 2011. The school reverted to its previous name in June 2018, after a university investigation confirmed that Ayala had
sexually harassed
Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...
at least four women colleagues and graduate students.
Notes
External links
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{{coord missing, Orange County, California
University of California, Irvine
Biology education
Science education in the United States
Science and technology in Greater Los Angeles
University subdivisions in California
Educational institutions established in 1965
1965 establishments in California