A University of Virginia chemistry professor and the University’s recently retired director of the International Studies Office are this year’s recipients of the Thomas Jefferson Award, UVA’s highest honor bestowed upon members of the University community.
Jill Venton, the University’s Thomas Jefferson Professor of Chemistry in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and Dudley Doane, who served as the University’s former senior adviser of global affairs, received the honors June 5 during a Board of Visitors luncheon in the Rotunda’s Dome Room.
Doane received the Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Service, and Venton the Thomas Jefferson Award for Scholarship.
“This is all because of the work of other people,” Doane said. “I had a wonderful team of managers and staff and faculty colleagues who put incredible amounts of thought and time into developing education-abroad opportunities.”
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“My greatest accomplishment is the people whom I’ve trained, who are able to do this amazing research,” Venton said. “It is such a privilege to be able to shepherd undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs and research scientists to learn more about chemistry and the brain.”
Venton started her career at UVA in 2005 and is widely recognized as one of the leading figures in analytical neurochemistry. Her work has transformed how scientists study the brain, helping them better track chemical signals such as dopamine and serotonin that influence mood, motivation and behavior. She developed tools and techniques that allow researchers to measure these brain chemicals in real time.
“Jill Venton is an internationally recognized scientist whose work has fundamentally redefined the timescale of brain communication, yet she remains a grounded citizen of Charlottesville who finds peace in the outdoors along the Mechums River,” wrote professor Linda Columbus, chair of the Chemistry Department, in her nomination letter.
“Her career at UVA is a testament to the success a researcher can achieve when they combine cutting-edge innovation with a heart for service,” Columbus wrote.
Doane came to UVA in 1999 to direct the Summer Language Institute and led the expansion of UVA’s education-abroad program and the development of scholarships to support students. He led the creation of the Global Affairs January term study opportunities and worked with international students attending UVA and UVA students studying abroad.
In 2020, when the pandemic shut down international travel, Doane coordinated the return to Grounds of 400 UVA students studying abroad and ensured each had a plan to complete their academic work.
“I am not aware of another colleague who has matched his remarkable impact as a visionary leader, gifted administrator, accomplished educator, and a wise and empathetic adviser to countless students,” wrote Stephen D. Mull, UVA vice provost for global affairs, in nominating Doane for the award.
Mull also praised Doane’s collaborative approach.
“Dudley lives by the words of Harry S. Truman: ‘It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.’ Time and again, Dudley lifts others and gives credit to those around him,” Mull wrote.
