Penn State professor and Verne M. Willaman Dean of the Eberly College of Science Douglas R. Cavener will step down from his role as dean to resume teaching and researching full-time in the Department of Biology in June, the university announced in a release Tuesday.

Cavener has been working at Penn State since 2000. He began as a professor and the head of the biology department until 2015, when he began serving as the dean of the Eberly College. Cavener and the college have been advancing Eberly’s mission by enriching lives, improving society, addressing global challenges by producing scientifically trained leaders and innovators, advancing the frontiers of science, and enhancing public understanding of science.

Given the college’s transformation of teaching to engage students in the classroom in active learning and Cavener’s little time in the classroom as a department head, Cavener wants to return to the classroom environment.

“I’d like the opportunity to return to the classroom environment,” Cavener said in the release. “My goal is to integrate teaching and research by focusing on learning, discovery and problem solving. However, between now and next June much work remains to advance the mission of the college and I will be fully engaged.”

Cavener’s research in molecular biology, genetics, and evolutionary biology is internationally recognized and his more recent work has a focus on the causes of human diseases, including diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders.

He holds a bachelor of arts in biology, a master of science in genetics, and a doctorate in molecular and population genetics from Pasadena College, Brown University, and the University of Georgia respectively. The University will be conducting a national search for Cavener’s replacement.