RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., May 8, 2008 - Scientist and editor Chris Brodie, Ph.D., has joined the North Carolina Biotechnology Center as vice president of corporate communications.
For the past five years Brodie has been an associate editor of American Scientist magazine, an international bimonthly publication containing articles written by scientists and published by Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. Brodie is also a member of Sigma Xi, which has its headquarters in Research Triangle Park.
"Chris Brodie brings a valuable blend of solid scientific background, smart sensibility and leadership skills," said W. Steven Burke, senior vice president of corporate affairs for the Biotechnology Center.
"Effective communication is increasingly important with the continued growth in the scope and reputation of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center's programs."
Brodie is the co-founder of Science Communicators of North Carolina (SCONC), a professional organization of scientists, journalists, public information officers, teachers and museum curators. SCONC currently has more than 200 members.
Brodie was born in Michigan and grew up in Cobb County, Georgia. After earning undergraduate degrees in biology and English from the University of Georgia, he taught high school science for three years in rural south Georgia.
As a predoctoral fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Brodie earned a Ph.D. in molecular, cellular, developmental biology and genetics from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus. He then came to the Department of Neurobiology at Duke University as a postdoctoral research associate. At Duke, Brodie received a National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health.
Brodie is also a Fulbright Scholar for 2008-2009. During a four-month residence in Oslo, he will teach science communications at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. The Academy is notable as the administrator of the million-dollar Kavli Prizes in Nanoscience, Neuroscience and Astrophysics, and of the Abel Prize in Mathematics. Brodie's visit coincides with the award of the inaugural Kavli Prizes in Oslo in September.
Brodie and his wife Jennifer, a North Carolina native, live in Durham. They have three children.
The Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation supported by the N.C. General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business, education and workforce training statewide.
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EDITORS: A photo of Chris Brodie is available on the Web at www.ncbiotech.org/assets/images/staff/brodie_print.jpg
Contact: Steven Burke, senior vice president of corporate affairs, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, 919-541-9366. Visit the Biotechnology Center's Web site at www.ncbiotech.org.
