Brian Davison
He/Him
I am gay and I am a biochemical engineer and industrial microbiologist.//
I trained as a Chemical engineer but have always worked between the fields of engineering, biology and renewable energy. I think that being queer has helped my abilities in multidisciplinary communication and networking. Diverse disciplines in some ways are not that different from our other forms of diversity. But one does have to prove one’s excellence when a minority. I have a BSE from the Univ. of Rochester and PhD from CalTech, both in chemical engineering. I have been at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) since 1985. I cofounded the Gay Lesbian or Bisexual Employees (GLOBE) at ORNL in 1995 and remain its frequent spokesperson. My current title is ORNL Chief Scientist for Biotechnology. I am the Chief Science Officer of DOE’s new Center for Bioenergy Innovation, and the previous BioEnergy Science Center. I am a Fellow of AIChE, SIMB, and AIMBE. I serve on the Board of AIChE’s Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) since 2012. Awards include an R&D100 Award, C.D. Scott Award from SIMB, and the ORNL Science Communicator (2007) and Technology Transfer (2018). I have also been highly interested in STEM outreach – working with the Creative Discovery Museum. I am also an active reader, gardener, Presbyterian choir member and Sunday school teacher.