Gwen Bachman has been named interim director of the University Honors Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Bachman will step into the new role June 1. A search for the permanent director will begin in fall 2017. Patrice Berger, who has led the University Honors Program since 1986, is retiring from the university effective June 30.

“Dr. Bachman has shown a dedication to teaching and mentoring honors students,” said Amy Goodburn, associate vice chancellor for the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor. “Her experiences with honors seminars, learning communities, curriculum, and undergraduate research position her well for this interim role.”

Bachman is associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences. She is a member of the College of Arts and Sciences curriculum committee and has chaired the university’s Institutional Animal Care and Use program for more than a decade. Since joining the university in 1998, Bachman has taught numerous honors seminars and has been a faculty mentor for the Biology Learning Community and faculty sponsor for the Biology Club.

Patrice Berger

“The University Honors Program has a long tradition of attracting the best and brightest students to Nebraska,” Bachman said, “I relish the opportunity to grow and strengthen the role and significance of Honors as interim director.”

A field biologist, Bachman’s research lab examines the influence of energy supply and demand on animal behavior, including stress physiology and endocrinology, eco-immunology, metabolic physiology, and micro-habit choice in birds and reptiles. Bachman earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California-San Diego and a doctorate from the University of California-Los Angeles.