About the Dean
Thomas O. Baldwin biography
Dean, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of California, Riverside; Associate Director, Agricultural Experiment Station, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, State of California
Dr. Baldwin was appointed dean of CNAS in July 2008. He came to UCR from the University of Arizona, where he had been head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and was the founding director of the Institute for Biomedical Science and Biotechnology. He had held previous faculty appointments at Texas A&M University and the University of Illinois and a postdoctoral appointment at Harvard. He received his bachelor's degree in chemistry and doctorate in zoology from the University of Texas, Austin.
A biochemist, Dr. Baldwin is best known for his research on "protein folding," the biochemical process, vitally important to all of life's processes, by which a protein assumes its three-dimensional structure. Protein misfolding leads to a number of disease states, including prion diseases such as "mad cow" disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
The recipient of numerous awards for scholarship and research, including a Fulbright Scholarship and a Fogarty Senior International Fellowship, Baldwin was recognized as a Faculty Fellow for excellence in science and academic leadership by Texas A&M and the Texas Agriculture Experiment Station.
A native of Mississippi, Baldwin is married to Miriam Ziegler, who is also a biochemist. They have two grown daughters.
Articles by Dean Baldwin
- A smaller, more efficient college: Dean Baldwin on the budget (July 2009)
- Science illiteracy and its consequences (December 2008)
- Education is an excellent investment (May 2008)
Photos of Dean Tom Baldwin
