Joe Caspermeyer, Media Relations Manager & Science Editor
(480) 727-0369 | joseph.caspermeyer@asu.edu
George Poste, director of the Biodesign Institute and the Del E. Webb Distinguished Professor of Biology, has been named an ASU Regents’ Professor, joining the university’s most prestigious ranks. His selection, along with five other exceptional ASU professors, was ratified Dec. 2 by the Arizona Board of Regents.
Regents’ Professors stand out for their accomplishments in many areas: excellence in teaching, exceptional achievements in research or other creative activities, and national and international distinction in their fields. They serve as advisers to the university president and take on a broader role as consultants and teachers throughout the university.
Poste, who joined ASU in May of 2003, is internationally prominent in several fields, having made contributions to the research, legislative policy and private enterprise. In 2004, he was named "Scientist of the Year" by R&D Magazine in tribute to his incredible past accomplishments and recognition of his leadership in establishing the Biodesign Institute as a confluence of leading edge technologies.
He is a leader in pharmaceutical research, has worked extensively with the U.S. government on public health and bioterrorism defense, and has used his expertise to bridge the divide between scientists and legislators to influence health policy.
From 1992 to 1999, Dr. Poste was Chief Science and Technology Officer and President of Research & Development for one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, SmithKline Beecham. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, and the UK Academy of Medicine, a Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and is a member of the Council for Foreign Relations. Poste’s expertise has also been tapped extensively to aid national security. He served as chairman of the task force on bioterrorism for the U.S. Department of Defense, a role he completed in May 2004, and currently serves as a member of the Threat Reduction Advisory Committee for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
He also serves as a member of the National Academy Sciences Working Group on Biological Weapons, the Forum on Microbial Threats of the Institute of Medicine Board on Global Health and the Institute of Medicine Committee on Advances in Technology and Next Generation Biowarfare Threats. He is Non-Executive Chairman of Orchid Biosciences in Princeton and has served on numerous boards, with current appointments on the Board of Directors for both Monsanto and Exelixis.
Nominations for Regents’ Professorships are made by faculty members and are submitted to a nominating committee in the fall. The prestigious honor includes an increase of $5,000 to the faculty member’s base salary, as well as an annual grant of $5,000 to support scholarly endeavors. Starting this year, Regents’ Professors will be named annually, rather than every other year as in the past.
Poste’s induction is scheduled to take place April 27.
