Before Brown is a series that explores University administrators' personal and professional pathways to College Hill.
In elementary school, he dreamed of being a medical doctor. Now, Francis Doyle serves as the University’s 14th provost and a professor of engineering and neuroscience.
Fascinated by chemistry, physics and math in high school, Doyle pursued chemical engineering, following in the footsteps of his father and brother.
Doyle obtained degrees in chemical engineering from Princeton, Cambridge University and the California Institute of Technology. He was drawn to a career in academia during graduate school when he had the opportunity to teach a course, calling the experience “incredibly rewarding.”
“The combination of running an independent research lab and teaching in the classroom was a perfect fit for me,” he wrote in an email to The Herald.
Doyle first began his career in academia as an assistant professor in the School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University. Following that, he worked as an associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Delaware.
In 2002, Doyle transitioned to academic leadership at the University of California at Santa Barbara, serving as the chair of the department of chemical engineering, the director of the UCSB/Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Caltech Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies and the associate dean for research in the College of Engineering.
“In different ways, each university enabled me to expand my research program, refine my teaching skills and exposed me to administrative leadership opportunities,” Doyle wrote.
After thirteen years at UCSB, Doyle became the dean of Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 2015. While there, he focused on research laboratories and curriculum as well as supported the construction of Harvard’s new SEAS building.
While his early research was focused on chemical engineering, Doyle soon transitioned to the field of biomedical engineering after being “exposed to the sophistication of control systems in nature,” he wrote, adding that this fostered his interest in systems biology and its applications to physiological networks in the brain.
Doyle explored the application of his research in medicine by examining the automation of insulin delivery for individuals with diabetes. Now, over 30 years later, algorithms from his work are used in commercial products such as the artificial pancreas.
Rudiyanto Gunawan, an associate professor in the University at Buffalo’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, met Doyle when he joined the now-provost’s lab at UCSB. In an email to The Herald, Gunawan said that he is “deeply grateful” for Doyle’s support, which allowed him to explore research areas outside of his comfort zone.
Gunawan has many sentimental memories from his time working with Doyle. On a trip to Germany, he said that “Frank shared many fascinating insights about gin” and treated him to his first gin and tonic.
He also recalled the lab’s annual Christmas gatherings. “We played Bad Santa gift exchange with the group members and Frank’s family,” he wrote. “This is a tradition that I continue with my research group to this day.”
Academically, Gunawan appreciated Doyle’s mentorship and advice. “I draw inspiration from the way Frank ran his lab, using it as a model to shape my own research group,” he wrote.
Neda Bagheri, an associate professor of biology and chemical engineering at the University of Washington, also conducted research in Doyle’s lab while pursuing her master’s thesis and PhD. Doyle was “an early and impactful leader in the ‘new’ field of systems biology,” she wrote in an email to The Herald.
Alongside Doyle, Bagheri developed a mathematical model of a circadian clock, demonstrating how “the variance in endogenous circadian rhythms is an essential ingredient to an organism’s ability to reset its phase,” Bagheri wrote.
While working with Doyle, Bagheri recalls being impressed by his various hobbies outside of the lab, such as sailing and refereeing competitive soccer games.
Bagheri remembers Doyle as a “generous, dedicated, thoughtful and passionate mentor.”
“He was — and continues to be — an exceptional role model, citizen and friend,” Bagheri added.
Doyle said he appreciated the opportunity to work with students and colleagues at each university. “Those experiences contributed to the development of the skills that I exercise on a daily basis as provost at Brown,” he wrote.
Now, as Brown’s provost for nearly two years, Doyle’s focus on research and collaboration is University-wide. In his position, Doyle works in conjunction with the president, deans, faculty and students.
“The breadth of scholarly activities that I am able to support is remarkable,” he wrote. “There is a special sense of both purpose and belonging that I have experienced at Brown, and it pervades all aspects of campus life including administration.”
Correction: The source of Provost Francis Doyle's headshot has been updated.
Roma Shah is a senior staff writer covering University Hall and higher education. She's a freshman from Morgan Hill, CA and studies Neuroscience. In her free time, she can be found doing puzzles, hiking or curled up with a book.
