Murdock grant to help new Gonzaga U. biology professor

SPOKANE, Wash.– A $25,400 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust will help a new biology professor at Gonzaga University hit the ground running.

The “Start-up Research Package” matches funds from Gonzaga to provide equipment, supplies and summer research stipends for the new faculty member, who will take up duties in summer 2022. The new hire, currently being recruited, will be a field ecologist whose research and teaching address issues of conservation and resource management.

“This support from the Murdock Trust makes a huge difference in our ability to attract excellent teacher-scholars and give them what they need to be successful at Gonzaga,” said David Boose, chair of the biology department.

“We prioritize getting students involved in authentic research in the field,” Boose said. “Startup funds help faculty get their projects going right away, gathering data that can then support applications for competitive grants in the future.”

In doubling what Gonzaga offers for early start-up funds, the grant allows the department to compete with larger institutions for top faculty talent.

“The Murdock Trust has been a major supporter of the sciences at Gonzaga for more than 25 years,” Boose said. “From buildings and facilities, to grants supporting individual faculty research, to start-up grants like these, the Murdock Trust has been fundamental in creating a top-tier undergraduate research environment at Gonzaga, and our students continue to reap the benefits of that. We are extremely grateful for all of their support.”

Biology is the second-largest program in the College of Arts and Sciences, with more than 360 majors, 33 minors and 28 full-time faculty and staff.