Associate Dean for Research Patisaul Recognized for Outstanding Scientific Contributions
The College of Sciences is one of the largest and most research-intensive colleges at NC State. In the 2021-22 fiscal year, the college received $50 million in research grants, a record.
As the associate dean for research, Heather Patisaul, who is also a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, oversees the administration of research grants in the college. This year, she has received three important accolades of her own.
One honor for Patisaul was the 2022 Society of Toxicology Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology Specialty Section Mid-Career Award in recognition of her outstanding research and scientific contribution since her graduate and/or postdoctoral training.
In addition, she has been named as the incoming chair for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC). The BSC is an external peer review committee that evaluates intramural research programs. As chair, Patisaul will help oversee and coordinate reviews and reports. She will lead her first BSC meeting in December.
Patisaul is also the 2022-23 chair-elect of the NC State Research Leadership Academy (RLA). Established in 2016 as the faculty-driven epicenter of research leadership and faculty mentoring, the RLA is made up of the NC State’s most outstanding researchers and mentors from various disciplines. The members, which are selected based on their records of active engagement in research and faculty mentoring, work to develop and advocate for the best research and administrative practices.
Patisaul oversees the College of Sciences Research Office, which offers pre- and post-award services to help faculty develop and maintain strong research programs. In her own research, she explores the ways in which endocrine disrupting compounds alter neuroendocrine pathways in the brain related to sex-specific physiology and behavior. She is particularly interested in phytoestrogens, flame retardants and BPA (Bisphenol A).
She earned her bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of Florida in 1995 and her doctorate from Emory University in 2001. She previously received the NIEHS Outstanding New Environmental Scientist Award and has been on national and international expert panels and workshops related to health effects associated with soy and other endocrine disruptors. In 2016, she chaired the Gordon Research Conference on Environmental Endocrine Disruptors.
This post was originally published in College of Sciences News.
