Gene Brown (professor)

Gene Brown
Born	Pioneer, Missouri
Nationality	American
Fields	Biochemistry
Institutions	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Gene Brown is a Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the department in 1954 and served as its head from 1977 to 1985. He served as the Dean of Science at MIT from 1985 to 1991. He is notable for his interest in and commitment to undergraduate education, and taught the department's biochemistry course for over 50 years.

Brown was born in Pioneer, Missouri and raised in nearby Cassville until around age nine, when his family moved to Idaho. He was the first member of his family to attend high school and the only member of his graduating high school class to attend college. After a year as a college student in Idaho, he joined the Army Air Corps, where he was assigned to work in chemical warfare operations. His tasks included teaching safety lessons, which he later described as "whetting [his] teaching interest" for his later activities as an educator.

Brown used the GI Bill to attend Colorado A&M to finish his undergraduate degree in chemistry. He was encouraged by a biochemistry professor there to attend graduate school. Brown received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin in 1953 under the supervision of Esmond Snell, although Snell moved to the University of Texas partway through Brown's education. After defending his thesis in Wisconsin, Brown worked briefly as a postdoctoral fellow with Snell in Texas.

Brown was offered a faculty position at MIT by Jack Buchanan, who at the time was interested in recruiting biochemists. Brown began at MIT in 1954 as an instructor and later advanced through the ranks to full professor. He served as the associate head of the department from 1967 to 1977 and as the head from 1977 to 1985, succeeding Boris Magasanik. Under his leadership, funding was obtained and plans were made for the launch of MIT's Whitehead Institute.

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