Alumnus Brian Atwood ‘74, believing that all alumni have a vital stake in the continued growth and
success of the School of Biological Sciences, has made a significant gift to the School to establish the
Atwood Family Scholarship Fund. Atwood created the fund to provide undergraduate scholarships for bright
and talented students, thus helping to ensure the reputation of the School of Biological Sciences at UC,
Irvine as a premier institution for the study of biology.
Currently residing in Northern California, Atwood is a managing director of Versant Ventures. He has
more than 15 years of operating experience in the biotechnology industry, with emphasis on therapeutic
products, devices, diagnostics and research instrumentation. Prior to launching his career as a venture
capitalist, Atwood co-founded and served as director of Perkin Elmer/Cetus Instruments, a joint venture
for robotics automation and genomics research instruments and products. Under Atwood’s management,
the venture developed and launched the GeneAmp® Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) system, the fundamental
DNA amplification innovation responsible for fueling the explosive growth of genomics research.
As a student at UC Irvine, Atwood participated in crew and conducted research under the direction of
Professor F. Lynn Carpenter in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Atwood has maintained
a strong connection with UC Irvine even though he is a busy professional and devoted family man. For his
professional achievements and personal commitment to the School of Biological Sciences, Atwood was awarded
the distinguished alumnus award at the 2001 UCI Lauds & Laurels Awards Ceremony. The School of
Biological Sciences is grateful for the Atwood Family Scholarship Fund. This will be an invaluable addition
to the School’s existing scholarship program, which in 2002 offered over $50,000 in scholarships,
fellowships and prizes.
For those Alumni and Friends who would like to share their success stories please contact our Marketing and Communications Office at (949) 824-2985 or email at ggissend@uci.edu
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