Renowned Researcher Lin Named UCI Biology Dean

Shin Lin, a leading international researcher in biophysics and molecular biology, has been named dean of the UC Irvine School of Biological Sciences, university officials said Wednesday.

Lin, 52, is chair of biophysics at Johns Hopkins University, where he has taught since 1974. His appointment is effective Oct. 1, pending approval by UC President Richard Atkinson.

A statement issued by UCI lauded Lin’s selection as dean. Chancellor Laurel L. Wilkening said that the school’s status as a research university will grow as a result of Lin’s appointment.

In 1995, UCI became the first public university in the United States to have faculty members win Nobel prizes in two different fields in the same year.

Lin has earned international acclaim for his research on the molecular structure and cellular function of proteins called tensins. Studies have shown that tensins play a key role in a tumor suppressor gene linked to different types of cancer.

According to a biography released by UCI, Lin immigrated to the United States with his parents from Hong Kong in 1961.

He earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry at UC Davis in 1965, a master’s in chemistry from San Diego State University in 1967 and a doctorate in biological chemistry from UCLA in 1971.

His appointment fills a vacancy created in January, when dean Elvera Ehrenfeld left for a position with the National Institutes of Health.