Darrel R. Falk (born 1946) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

. He is Professor Emeritus of Biology at

Point Loma Nazarene University Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a Private college, private Christianity, Christian Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college with its main campus in Point Loma, San Diego, Point Loma in San Diego, California, Unit ...

and is the past president and a current senior advisor with

BioLogos Foundation The BioLogos Foundation is a Christian advocacy group that supports the view that God created the world using evolution of different species as the mechanism. It was established by Francis Collins in 2007 after receiving letters and emails from ...

, an advocacy group that emphasizes compatibility between science and Christian faith.

Education

Falk attended

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

, originally planning to become a medical doctor. In his second university semester, he signed up for Introduction to Biology, Genetics, and Developmental Biology. Falk graduated from Simon Fraser University in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. He then completed his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

from the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

in 1973.

Career and research

He did post-doctoral studies at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

(1973–74) and at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...

(1974–76). He was an Assistant/Associate Professor at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

from 1976 to 1984. Then a professor at Mount Vernon Nazarene College in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

from 1984 to 1988. Since 1988, he has been a professor at

. His research interests have included

molecular genetics Molecular genetics is a branch of biology that addresses how differences in the structures or expression of DNA molecules manifests as variation among organisms. Molecular genetics often applies an "investigative approach" to determine the st ...

of ''

Drosophila melanogaster ''Drosophila melanogaster'' is a species of fly (an insect of the Order (biology), order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly", "pomace fly" ...

'', organization of

gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

s; and mechanism of repair of

chromosome A chromosome is a package of DNA containing part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes, the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with nucleosome-forming packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells, the most import ...

breaks.

Christian beliefs

Falk is a Christian and believes in

theistic evolution Theistic evolution (also known as theistic evolutionism or God-guided evolution), alternatively called evolutionary creationism, is a view that God acts and creates through laws of nature. Here, God is taken as the primary cause while natural cau ...

. He is the past president (2009-2012) of The

, founded by geneticist

Francis Collins Francis Sellers Collins (born April 14, 1950) is an American physician-scientist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He served as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ...

, which seeks to find "harmony between science and biblical faith" by advocating for "an evolutionary understanding of God’s creation". He has authored a book on the

creation–evolution controversy Recurring cultural, political, and theological rejection of evolution by religious groups exists regarding the origins of the Earth, of humanity, and of other life. In accordance with creationism, species were once widely believed to be fixed ...

titled ''Coming to Peace with Science: Bridging the Worlds Between Faith and Biology'' (InterVarsity Press, 2004), with a foreword by Collins. He has been critical of the

intelligent design movement The intelligent design movement is a neo-creationist religious campaign for broad social, academic and political change to promote and support the pseudoscientific Article available froUniversiteit Gent/ref> idea of intelligent design (ID), which ...

and written about the movement frequently on The BioLogos Foundation's website. In May 2025, Falk started a Substack addressing the fraught relationship between science and Evangelical Christianity, particularly in the context of the dismantling of science initiated in the early months of

Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's second presidency. It began with a three-part series entitled "Challenging Times for Science in America."

Publications

*''The Fool and the Heretic How Two Scientists Moved beyond Labels to a Christian Dialogue about Creation and Evolution'' (with Todd Charles Wood) (Zondervan Academic, 2019) *''Coming to Peace with Science: Bridging the Worlds Between Faith and Biology'' (InterVarsity Press, 2004) *''Affirming: The Brightening Lamp'' (with Arthur F. Seamans) (Point Loma Press, 2002)

References

External links

Point Loma Nazarene University BioBioLogos Foundation Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falk, Darrel 1946 births Living people American Christians American geneticists University of Alberta alumni Simon Fraser University alumni Point Loma Nazarene University faculty Syracuse University faculty Mount Vernon Nazarene University faculty Theistic evolutionists Science activists Members of The BioLogos Foundation