Dear Colleagues,
I am delighted to share that Associate Professor Deborah Lutterschmidt from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology was awarded the prestigious Grace Evelyn Pickford Medal in Comparative Endocrinology by the International Federation of Comparative Endocrinological Societies (IFCES), which represents the six primary comparative endocrinology societies in the world. This medal is presented every four years and recognizes the awardee’s outstanding contributions to comparative endocrinology and is considered one of the highest honors in the field for early to mid-career scientists. Professor Lutterschmidt accepted the award in September at the joint conference of the European Society for Comparative Endocrinology and the International Society for Fish Endocrinology held in Faro, Portugal. Professor Lutterschmidt’s research focuses on understanding the environmental, neuroendocrine, and metabolic factors that mediate seasonal transitions from one life-history stage to another. Her research is both integrative and comparative in nature, with her interests lying at the interface of physiology, endocrinology, neurobiology, animal behavior and ecology. She is particularly interested in understanding sex and phylogeographic variation in the neuroendocrine mechanisms that mediate life-history transitions. The Grace Evelyn Pickford Medal is a great honor and is a testament to Professor Lutterschmidt’s dedication and commitment to advancing the field of comparative endocrinology. Please join me in congratulating Professor Lutterschmidt on this prestigious honor.
Sincerely,
Frank LaFerla, PhD
Dean and Chancellor’s Professor
dean.bio.uci.edu