Biological Sciences' David McNabb Named Interim Associate Dean for Fulbright College

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David McNabb

David McNabb has been named an interim associate dean in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, after serving as chair of the college's Department of Biological Sciences since 2017 and vice chair since 2012.

McNabb has also been a U of A faculty member for more than 22 years.

"David brings such a wealth of research expertise, academic leadership, teaching and mentoring talents to this role, along with his continuous, steady and measured approach to fostering student, faculty and staff success during this vital time in the college," said Kathryn Sloan, interim dean of Fulbright College.

"We're so glad he's joining our Fulbright College Dean's Office team as an interim associate dean, and we're excited to work with him in this new role," she added.

As interim associate dean, McNabb will serve as the administrative liaison between the Fulbright College Dean's Office and several areas, services, departments and centers, primarily including English, the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I3R), the Pre-Medical Program, University Museum and STEM-E, as well as administrative areas for the college including Workday, Faculty Travel, Facilities Management, Sponsored Programs, Streamlyne and all college research centers and grants.

"My career focus has always been on helping people, be it through my research and teaching or through my time as an academic leader," McNabb said. "As an associate dean, my hope is to continue to help our college's faculty, staff and students to excel, and to provide them with the opportunities, tools and equipment they need to do so."

"I'm honored for this opportunity to further serve, delighted to work more closely with our Dean's Office team in this new role and looking forward to another great academic year in Fulbright College," he said.

McNabb's research interests center on the development and identification of antifungal compounds or peptides for potential use in the treatment of fungal infections in humans, the role of the CCAAT-binding factor in Candida albicans pathogenesis and the application of solid-state nanopores as single molecule detectors for applications in biological systems.

Additionally, McNabb has received millions in research funding from organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Arkansas Biosciences Institute, American Heart Association, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and more. 

He also holds four U.S. patents for his collaborative research, has authored or co-authored dozens of articles in top journals including PLoS One, Biotechnology Progress, Nanotechnology and more and has presented his research at dozens of conferences around the world.

McNabb serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for multiple scientific journals and cell and molecular biology textbooks, and currently serves the U of A on its University Toxic Substances, Communicable Disease Outbreak Committee and University Building Facilities committees.

He is also a member of the American Heart Association's Council on Genomics and Precision Medicine, the American Chemical Society's Biological Chemistry Division, Sigma Xi, the Genetics Society of America and the American Society for Microbiology.

In addition to his extensive research track record, McNabb has been widely recognized by the U of A and Fulbright College for his dedication to students and excellence in teaching, winning the U of A's Outstanding Mentor Award 14 times in the past 20 years, as well as being inducted as a U of A Teaching Fellow and being named a past recipient of the college's Master Teacher Award.

McNabb holds a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Louisiana State University Medical Center.