APRIL 17, 2022 - Dr. Mohamed Noor, evolutionary biologist and Star Trek science consultant, might not (yet) be Commandant of Starfleet Academy, but he is on his way.

Dr. Noor, Professor of Biology and Dean of Natural Sciences at Duke University, has been named Interim Dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, according to an announcement from the university. Dr. Noor will step in on July 1 for Dr. Valerie Ashby, when she departs this summer to become president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Trinity College is the undergraduate liberal arts college at Duke and encompasses research, education, and faculty in the humanities, social sciences, and the natural sciences.

Dr. Noor has been with the Duke biology department since 2005, has served as department chair, and has been dean of natural sciences since 2018. Provost Dr. Sally Kornbluth expressed her appreciation for Dr. Noor and said, “He understands Duke and Trinity College, he is an outstanding scholar, and his commitment to students and to his faculty colleagues is well-known and widely admired.”

Dr. Noor has received numerous awards at Duke and has also received the prestigious Darwin-Wallace Medal from the Linnean Society of London. His research includes aspects of species formation, so he is known to Star Trek fans for his explanations of alien species and other biological aspects of what we encounter out there in the Trek universe. 

Don’t miss his YouTube channel, BioTrekkie Explains! as well as his book, Live Long and Evolve: What Star Trek Can Teach Us about Evolution, Genetics, and Life on Other Worlds, available on Amazon or wherever you buy your books.

For more on Dr. Mohamed Noor’s appointment and his academic life, head over to Duke University.