The University of California, Irvine, has announced a $50 million gift from Orange County biotech entrepreneur Charlie Dunlop in support of its School of Biological Sciences.

The gift will create an endowed fund that will provide unrestricted support for academic and research activities within the school—one of the largest academic units at UC Irvine, with more than 4,000 undergraduates and 300 graduate students. In recognition of the gift, the school will be renamed the Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences.

Dunlop, a graduate of UC San Diego who has championed the open sharing of genetic data, founded Ambry Genetics in 1999, serving as its president and board chair until it was sold to Konica Minolta in 2017. He is a member of the School of Biological Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council.

“My focus is biology because it is the kind of science where dedication at the bench translates directly to success,” said Dunlop. “My experiences with children’s hospitals reaffirm the critical importance of our science. Whether aiding sick patients, supporting ecosystems, or conducting basic research, the advancement of our field is vital.”

“This gift supports UC Irvine’s belief that human and environmental health are integrated and that well-being requires an evidence-based approach that engages all disciplines in the School of Biological Sciences,” said chancellor Howard Gillman. “Charlie Dunlop’s dedication to this vision and his deep generosity will help UC Irvine set a standard that other biology programs in the [United States] can follow.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/BlackJack3D)