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BATON ROUGE—-Mark A. Batzer, Ph.D, an internationally-recognized genetics researcher and Professor of Biological Sciences at LSU, today was named an LSU System Boyd Professor, the System’s highest academic rank.
Batzer, who holds the title of Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite Distinguished Professor in Biological Sciences, becomes the 66th LSU System faculty member to achieve Boyd status in the 55 years since the honor was created.
“His work has contributed significantly to our understanding of the genetic diversity of humans,” said Kevin Carman, Dean of the LSU College of Basic Sciences, who noted that Batzer’s work has the potential for advancing disease prevention and producing a better understanding of evolution. Batzer’s research has also resulted in several patents that are currently being used in forensic DNA analysis by companies such as Reliagene, Inc. of New Orleans.
Batzer, the author of more than 215 peer-reviewed publications in leading academic journal articles, including cover articles in both Nature and Science, was commended in the unanimous resolution that awarded him the Boyd professorship as a “highly productive” researcher whose work has bridged international borders to “link collaborators in innovative approaches to the study of population biology and human origins.” His work has been cited more than 7,500 times in scientific literature.
In May, Batzer and an international team of researchers made headlines in the scientific world with a groundbreaking study of Platypus DNA. Their research revealed that the duck-billed platypus is a actually a bizarre combination of mammal, bird and reptile genes, a discovery that was hailed as providing new insight into how humans and other mammals first evolved.
“He is a wonderful and diverse fellow…a fantastic guy and a great teacher,” Carmen told the Board of Supervisors.
A native of Detroit, Batzer received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Michigan State University in 1983 and 1985, and his doctorate in Zoology and Genetics from LSU in 1988. His numerous awards include being elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and receiving the LSU Distinguished Faculty Award. Since 1991, Batzer has been a principal investigator on research grants of more than $11.4 million from a variety of governmental agencies and private organizations.
The Board of Supervisors in 1953 established the Boyd Professorship, which is named in honor of brothers David F. and Thomas D. Boyd, presidents of LSU in its formative years. It is the highest professorial rank awarded by the University System. The honor is limited to professors who have attained national or international distinction for outstanding research, teaching and other creative achievements. There have been 65 Boyd professors named since inception of the award, including 41 from the Main Campus. Twenty-one Boyd Professors remain active. The others have resigned, retired, or, are deceased.
For further information, contact Dr. Charles Zewe, LSU System Vice President for Communications and External Affairs, 225-578-3941 (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) <mailto:czewe@lsu.edu> ), or Rusty Jabour, LSU Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs, 225-578-8654.
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