Charlotte J. Avers, Ph.D.
1926 - 1990
Organelle Genetic Systems and the Assembly of Mitochondria and Peroxisomes,
Author of numerous books on Cell Biology, Genetics and Evolution
| Professor Avers had a remarkable impact in the development of the life sciences at Douglass College and throughout the University. In 1956, at a time when women scientists typically were not found in faculty positions at major universities, Dr. Avers was hired by the University of Miami as an assistant professor. She obtained one of the first National Institutes of Health research grants at that institution and during that time she initiated ground breaking research on the ultrastructure, assembly and function of mitochondria and peroxisomes. In 1964 she was hired by Douglass College at Rutgers to develop a Department of Biological Sciences. As department chair and a senior member of the faculty she influenced the hiring a young and dynamic research active faculty that focused on the fields of genetics, developmental biology and molecular cell biology. Dr. Avers was a prolific author of college level textbooks that had a profound influence on generations of students, particularly in the field of cell biology. Her cell biology textbook published in 1976 broke new ground by incorporating genetics and gene expression as an essential part of the cell biology curriculum. Dr. Avers was known by her students as a dynamic teacher who gave organized, compelling lectures and who demanded and brought out critical thinking skills. Her colleagues appreciated her quick and rigorous mind, her broad scientific insights, and her deep interest in the research of those who worked around her. |
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Ph.D., Indiana University, 1953
Instructor /Research Associate, Connecticut College, 1953- 1956
Assistant Professor, University of Miami, 1956-1959
Associate Professor, University of Miami, 1959 -1964
Professor of Biology, Rutgers University, 1964