UC Irvine will rename its biological sciences school after biotech pioneer Charlie Dunlop following a $50-million donation from the Orange County entrepreneur. The university said the money will be used for an endowment fund that will usher in a “new era of discovery,” bolstering academics and research programs within the school. “Charlie Dunlop’s dedication to this vision and his deep generosity will help UC Irvine set a standard that other biology programs in the U.S.
Dunlop's company made headlines for making the genetic data from the people it tested publicly available with the idea that researchers could use it to study genes linked to certain diseases. Dunlop said at the time that his experience with prostate cancer fueled his decision to make anonymized genetic information public. Dunlop said his company recruited heavily from UC Irvine and credited the school for teaching much of his workforce.