David Ballou, Ph.D.

Professor Ballou received his B.S. degree from Antioch College in 1965 and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan in 1967 and 1971, respectively. He joined the University of Michigan faculty as an instructor in 1972, and was promoted to assistant professor in 1974, to associate professor in 1981, and to professor in 1987. He retired from active faculty status in 2014.

Professor Ballou's research focused on elucidating the fundamental mechanisms of enzymological catalysis through the examination of flavoprotein, hemoprotein, nonheme iron oxygenases, and other redox proteins that can be isolated in homogeneous form. He explored how these enzymes activate oxygen and control reactions with organic compounds utilizing a variety of approaches, including spectral and rapid reaction techniques for characterizing active sites and intermediates in the reactions, site-directed mutagenesis to specifically test the roles of particular amino acid residues in each reaction step, and X-ray crystallography. Professor Ballou is a widely recognized expert in flow-related rapid reaction instrumentation, including stopped-flow absorbance and fluorescence spectrophotometers and cryogenic and chemical quenching devices. He developed analog computers, extremely high performance pH meters, data logging devices, software for data management and calculation, and the electronics and optics for highly sensitive ratio fluorimeters and polarization of fluorescence fluorimeters and spectrophotometers. Professor Ballou authored and co-authored over 184 peer-reviewed journal articles, three books, and numerous book chapters. A gifted instructor and dedicated mentor, Professor Ballou taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate biological chemistry courses and served on countless dissertation committees. He received the University's Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award in 2006.