When Professor Margaret James, Ph.D., looks back on her four decades of service to the UF College of Pharmacy, she can’t help but appreciate all the students and trainees she has mentored and the collaborations she has made with colleagues across the college and university. The steady and supportive leader in the department of medicinal chemistry retired in June, following a career full of monumental achievements. 

James joined the college in 1980 and was the longest-tenured faculty member at the time of her retirement. She was the college’s first female department chair and led the department of medicinal chemistry from 1991 to 2015. More recently, she held the Jack C. Massey Professor of Pharmacy endowed professorship. During her career, she published 175 peer-reviewed publications and secured more than $20 million in grant funding as a principal investigator. Her proudest achievements are the dozens of students and trainees she has mentored in her lab.

“The UF College of Pharmacy has been a great place to teach and do research, and I will miss the interactions with students, faculty and other researchers.”

“Many of my students have moved on to successful positions at universities, corporations and governmental roles,” James said. “The UF College of Pharmacy has been a great place to teach and do research, and I will miss the interactions with students, faculty and other researchers.”

Ian Tebbett, Ph.D., an associate dean for entrepreneurial programs and IT, and the founder of the University of Florida’s Forensic Science Program, retired in May after nearly 30 years with the college. During his tenure, he helped build the world’s largest forensic science graduate program, which has been ranked as the nation’s No. 1 online program by multiple organizations. 

The online forensic science program began as two courses in 2000 and quickly expanded into a 15-credit graduate certificate and 32-credit master’s degree within a few years. The program attracted crime lab scientists from around the world who were interested in expanding their knowledge and boosting their credibility when testifying in court cases. Tebbett and Donna Wielbo, Ph.D., a clinical associate professor, along with two of the program’s first students, Oliver Grundmann, Ph.D., and Nancy Toffolo, M.S., were instrumental in expanding the online offerings into four distinct master’s degree programs with multiple graduate certificates.

“I’m happy that I have been able to contribute to my discipline of forensic science and make quality education available to thousands of students around the world.”

In his associate dean role, Tebbett helped expand online education in the UF College of Pharmacy. More than 2,000 online graduates have matriculated through the college during his tenure, with many graduates moving on to assume leadership roles in the profession. Tebbett is especially proud that 30% of the students were underrepresented minorities and more than 70% were women, as these groups took advantage of the program’s flexibility to enhance their education while still maintaining work and family commitments.

“I’m happy that I have been able to contribute to my discipline of forensic science and make quality education available to thousands of students around the world,” Tebbett said. “I am also grateful to the many UF faculty who have supported and mentored me throughout my almost 30 years in Gainesville.”

In retirement, Tebbett looks forward to spending more time with his children and grandchildren, while splitting time between Minnesota and his native Scotland.