Biology

Cheryl Stevens, associate dean for Scholarship at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, will become the new dean of WKU’s Ogden College of Science and Engineeringin January.

Dr. Cheryl Stevens

“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Stevens to WKU,” Provost Gordon Emslie said. “She is an accomplished scholar and brings extensive experience in leadership roles at both the department and college level. I am confident that she will provide Ogden College with strong and visionary leadership as it moves forward.”

Dr. Stevens joined Xavier as a member of the Chemistry faculty in 1982. In 2005 she was named chair of the Chemistry Department and was appointed associate dean in 2009. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of New Orleans and the Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.

“I am thrilled to have been chosen as the new dean of Ogden College at WKU,” Dr. Stevens said. “I look forward to being part of the progressive changes, opportunities and growth that are sure to be part of this university’s future.”

Dr. Stevens has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Tampa and a doctorate in physical chemistry and post-doctoral study from the University of New Orleans.

She is the Margaret C. Kelly Endowed Professor of Chemistry, recipient of the Norman C. Francis Excellence in Scholarship Award and a member of the U.S. National Committee on Crystallography. She has been involved in more than $18 million in grant-funded projects since 1984.

Dr. Stevens’ research interests involve structural studies of small molecule inhibitors of cytochrome P450 and tyrosine kinase.  These inhibitors have been shown to block the initiation or progression of certain types of cancers.  Structural studies involve the use of small molecule single crystal x-ray diffraction, molecular modeling and experimental charge density analysis.

Dr. Stevens will begin Jan. 23, 2012, replacing Dr. Blaine Ferrell, who is retiring.

Ogden College of Science and Engineering encompasses the applied and basic sciences, offering a broad range of degree programs in agriculture, biology, chemistry, computer science, construction management, engineering, geography, geology, architectural design, manufacturing sciences, mathematics, meteorology, and physics and astronomy. Ogden College also offers a cooperative doctoral program in chemistry with the University of Louisville.

Contact: Gordon Emslie, (270) 745-2297.