The College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Biology is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jeffery L. Twiss as Head of the Department of Biology effective September 1, 2009. 

Dr. Twiss comes to Drexel from the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington Delaware where he serves as the Principal Research Scientist for Nemours Biomedical Research and the Director of both the Center for Translational Neurobiology and the Histotechnology & Muscle Histochemistry Lab.  He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University and the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Delaware, as well as an Associate Member of the Farber Institute for Neuroscience at Thomas Jefferson.

Dr. Twiss received his B.A. in Chemistry at the College of Charleston and his M.D. and Ph.D. at the Medical University of South Carolina. He completed clinical training in Neuropathology and post-doctoral work in Neurobiology at Stanford University Medical School.  Dr. Twiss then joined the University of California, Los Angeles as an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and a member of both the Brain Research Institute and the Johnson Comprehensive Cancer Center before moving to his current position at the Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children.

Over the course of the past 16 years, Dr. Twiss has continually received substantial grant support from organizations including NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Science Foundation, and the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.  His research focuses largely on cellular and molecular biology of the nervous systems, particularly the protein dynamics of sub-cellular domains.  At both Nemours and the University of Delaware, Dr. Twiss has devoted much of his time to building intra- and inter-institutional collaborations as well as to encouraging and guiding his colleagues through the grant process. As a member of the External Advisory Board for Integrated Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program at the University of Delaware, he has helped to build a shared graduate program between the University’s Biological Sciences Department and Nemours, in addition to facilitating undergraduate student participation in Nemours Research Programs. 

Dr. Twiss’ commitment to education and research and his passion for building an environment that nurtures and develops the talents of students and faculty alike make him an ideal fit for the position of Head of the Department of Biology. 

We graciously thank Dr. James Herbert, Professor of Psychology, for assuming the position of Interim Head of Biology after the death of our esteemed colleague, Dr. Mary K. Howett in August 2008.  Dr. Herbert’s thoughtful leadership was instrumental in maintaining both the high quality and spirit of the department after this major loss.  We would also like to thank Dr. David Goldberg, Associate Professor of Physics, for assuming Dr. Herbert’s position as Associate Dean for Graduate Education during that time and for continuing the College’s commitment to support outstanding research and graduate education.  As of September 1, 2009, Dr. Herbert will rejoin the Dean’s Office as Associate Dean for Graduate Education.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Twiss to Drexel and in thanking Drs. Herbert and Goldberg for their superb work and adaptability.  We are confident that Dr. Twiss’s vision and energy, in combination with the outstanding work of the faculty, staff and students of the Department of Biology, will continue the upward trajectory of the department that was initiated under Dr. Howett.