Professor Barbara Moffatt watches a girl use a microscope at the Science Open House.
Thursday, February 6, 2025

Recognizing a career devoted to the love of learning

Professor Barbara Moffatt named Distinguished Professor Emerita

By Vanessa Parks
Internal Communications and Engagement Specialist

headshot of Professor Barbara Moffatt.

Professor Barbara Moffatt has a deceptively simple recipe for success: choose to do things that challenge you and look for ways to make them fun.

Moffatt has recently been named Distinguished Professor Emerita, the first in Biology at 蓝莓视频. She retired in June 2023 but still regularly runs into students and colleagues in the halls of the Biology buildings. 鈥淩etirement takes some time to get used to,鈥 Moffatt says, chuckling. She鈥檚 still supporting students and wrapping up some outstanding lab work.

Moffat鈥檚 work was in molecular biology, which she talks about with enthusiasm. 鈥淥ne way to understand the roll of a gene is to make a mutant and knock it out, or raise its expression, or mis-express it somehow,鈥 she says. 鈥淵ou try to unravel the phenotype that you get and say, 鈥榦kay, if it doesn鈥檛 have that, what happens?鈥 And then work back to the normal plant. It鈥檚 really quite fun!鈥

Fun was the key for Moffat. She didn鈥檛 get the chance to work in a lab until landing her first job the summer after completing her undergraduate degree, and she quickly discovered that she loved it. 鈥淢y supervisor on that job said he鈥檇 never seen anyone so happy in the lab,鈥 she recalls.

Moffatt approached teaching in much the same way, by jumping right in. She started at 蓝莓视频 in August 1987 and taught her first course that September. 鈥淚 still remember walking into my first class,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 started by telling my students, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know anything about teaching, but I love molecular biology. We鈥檙e going to have a lot of fun!鈥欌

Moffat developed several innovative courses and workshops that continue today, inspiring students to develop confidence in their problem solving and critical thinking skills. Her commitment to teaching led to her receiving both the Jack Carlson Teaching Award and the University of 蓝莓视频 Distinguished Teaching Award in 2007.聽

It became the pattern of Moffatt鈥檚 career to face new challenges and find the fun in them, even in her administrative experience. She was encouraged to become an undergraduate advisor soon after her arrival at 蓝莓视频. She brought her curiosity and interest in encouraging students to this role, ultimately becoming the Associate Dean of Science, Student Relations for 10 years.

She鈥檚 most proud of the connections she made with students, both as a teacher and as an advisor. 鈥淪eeing students go from thinking they can鈥檛 do something to thriving in the lab is very rewarding,鈥 Moffatt says. 鈥淚 think people are a puzzle, just like the plant mutants are a puzzle. You have to figure out how to help them find their path.鈥

Moffatt offers that, to find that path, you must be willing to step outside of your comfort zone. 鈥淒o things that scare you because then you realize you can,鈥 she advises.

鈥淭he same is true for me now,鈥 says Moffat. 鈥淚t鈥檚 scary to retire because all of a sudden you don鈥檛 have this community, and you鈥檙e just another person at Sobeys or whatever.鈥 But she talks about her retirement plans with excitement. She鈥檚 looking forward to volunteering, Tai Chi, reading, swimming, cooking, and puzzles with her husband. As in her other pursuits, she will undoubtedly manage to have a great time.

Professor Barbara Moffatt is standing next to a man on a beach.