BATTELLE SCIENTIST NAMED ADJUNCT PROFESSOR

Release Date:  09/30/2008

 

Robert Casillas Specializes in Toxicology, Lends Expertise to Graduate Students

 

Columbus, Ohio—The most responsible veterans share their knowledge with young protégés, and Dr. Robert Casillas of Battelle does it on two counts.  Not only is he a veteran of the business of medical chemical and biological defense toxicology, he is a veteran of the United States Army and remains an active Reservist.  Plus, he shares his knowledge with a younger generation.

 

In addition to his duties as Vice President and Manager of the Biomedical and Technology Product Line at Battelle, Casillas recently was appointed Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.  The appointment, made by the Dean of the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Dr. Christopher Molloy, extends to the end of the 2008-2009 academic year and is based on the recommendation of Professor Donald Gerecke with the approval and support of Dr. Debra Laskin, Chair of the Department.

 

Casillas is one of three Battelle employees who routinely collaborate with Rutgers.  Dr. Carol Sabourin, Director, Molecular Biology and Toxicology, and Dr. Michael Babin, Principal Investigator/Toxicologist, also work with Rutgers.

 

“He has been a great help collaborating on research projects with me for more than five years,” said Gerecke.  “His expertise has been crucial in my getting some very large grants.  His intellectual capabilities and vast knowledge contributes greatly to our department.”

 

The working relationship began in 2003 and continued when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a grant to support the establishment of a Center of Excellence focused on the development of new and improved medical countermeasures against high priority chemical threats.  Casillas, Sabourin and Babin are experts in the field.

 

“We have gotten to know him over the last few years because of our collaborations, and we first met through the Society of Toxicology,” said Laskin.  “He brings a unique expertise for our graduate students.  His experience in the military and in business brings great perspective to our graduate students.” 

 

For Casillas, guest lecturing and advising doctoral students naturally extended to his adjunct professorship.  “Plus,” he said, “perhaps we can begin to create a pipeline of talented scientists from Rutgers to Battelle.”

 

Battelle is the world’s largest non-profit independent research and development organization, providing innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing needs through its four global businesses:  Laboratory Management, National Security, Energy Technology, and Health and Life Sciences.  It advances scientific discovery and application by conducting $4 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization.  Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 20,400 employees in more than 120 locations worldwide, including seven national laboratories which Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

 

Contact National Media Relations Manager Katy Delaney at (410) 306-8638 or delaneyk@battelle.org or T.R. Massey, media relations specialist, at (614) 424-5544 or masseytr@battelle.org for more information.