Boston College Names Thomas Chiles the DeLuca Professor of Biology

CHESTNUT HILL, MA (Feb. 28, 2012) – Boston College Biology Department Chairman Thomas Chiles has been named the Dr. Michael E. and Dr. Salvatore A. DeLuca Professor of Biology, the university announced today.

Chiles, whose research into lymphocyte metabolism and cancer biology is funded by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health and private foundations, said he was honored to be named to the endowed professorship, which will support his ongoing research, particularly projects involving undergraduates.

“It is a privilege and an honor to be named the DeLuca Professor of Biology,” said Chiles, who joined the BC faculty in 1992. “I’m grateful to the University and the DeLuca family for their ongoing support of my lab’s work and the advancement of the biological sciences here at BC."

The professorship was established in 1996 through an endowment from Dr. Salvatore A. and Lucy DeLuca to honor the memory of their son, Michael, a 1986 BC graduate who died in 1991. BC Biology Prof. Marc A.T. Muskavitch was the inaugural holder of the chair.

"I can't think of a colleague more deserving of this honor than Thomas Chiles,” said David Quigley, dean of BC’s College of Arts & Sciences. “In his 20 years at Boston College, Thomas has devoted himself to his students and to the Biology Department. His committed leadership has been instrumental in the considerable progress we've been making in the natural sciences in recent years."

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