David Kirchman has been appointed associate dean of the College, overseeing the academic programs and day-to-day operation of the Lewes campus and working closely with Dean Carolyn A. Thoroughgood on the Newark campus.

Kirchman succeeds Nancy Targett, who, after five years in the administrative post, has returned to full-time research and teaching.

"I am very pleased that David has accepted this new challenge," Thoroughgood says. "I strongly believe his leadership skills, enthusiasm, vision and experience will serve us well as we continue to advance our programs of excellence in research, education and service."

A member of the faculty since 1986, Kirchman conducts research on the most abundant, yet largely unseen, life form on Earth--marine bacteria. While invisible to the naked eye, these one-celled organisms play major roles in the ocean's health, from serving as the base of the food chain to controlling the amount of oxygen in the water.

In 1998, Kirchman was named the Maxwell P. and Mildred H. Harrington Professor of Marine Studies in recognition of his significant achievements in marine microbiology, particularly for his efforts to reveal the critical functions performed by marine bacteria in producing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that affects global climate.

Currently, Kirchman is involved in a multi-year research program that is investigating the impact of global climate change on the Arctic Ocean.

More locally, in research funded by the UD Sea Grant College Program, Kirchman is assessing the impact of industrial pollutants called polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on microbes in the Delaware River near the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Originating in tar, wood preservatives and oil and other fossil fuels, PAHs can have lethal effects on fish and shellfish.

Kirchman teaches several graduate courses each year and recently edited the textbook Microbial Ecology of the Oceans, published by John Wiley & Sons.

--Tracey Bryant