David Bevan, professor of biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The emeritus title may be conferred on retired professors, associate professors, and administrative officers who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.

A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1980, Bevan made significant contributions to an increased understanding of fundamental biochemical processes through his work in the application of computational methods to protein structure, function, and dynamics focusing on disease-related proteins and their interactions.

Among the biological systems to which his computational molecular modeling methods were applied were the amyloid beta-peptide that is associated with Alzheimer's disease, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor that is associated with inflammation, diabetes, and obesity, and sphingosine kinases, which are associated with a variety of diseases, including cancer, fibrosis, and Alzheimer’s. His lab also used computational methods to guide the redesign of enzymes, with an aim of altering thermostability and substrate specificity.

He served Virginia Tech as the program director for the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in genetics, bioinformatics, and computational biology for 15 years.

In the classroom, Bevans taught a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in biochemistry, bioinformatics, and computational biology. He advised many students on master’s degree and doctoral dissertations and helped them develop successful careers in both academe and industry.

In 2017, Bevan received the Graduate School’s Faculty Outstanding Mentor Award.

Bevan received his bachelor's degree from Marietta College and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Northwestern University.

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