College of Arts and Science

An internationally recognized expert in microbiology, Pamela Brown keeps student engagement at the heart of her teaching philosophy.

Embodying the Missouri Method — Mizzou’s approach to education through hands-on learning — Brown was a national early adopter of a novel teaching format known as Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), which addresses questions with unknown outcomes that are of interest to external stakeholders through experiential learning.

“Pam recognized early in her career the power that bacteria and the relative ease with which they can be manipulated in the laboratory even by novice experimentalists have to revolutionize young scientists’ understanding of the natural world,” David Schulz, director of Mizzou’s Division of Biological Sciences, wrote in his nomination of Brown. “Pam also saw in this system the potential to provide the opportunity to conduct inquiry-based approaches to learning and therefore has spent her career thus far transforming how we teach biology in the laboratory classroom.”

Brown is known for her compassion and supportiveness of students in her Intro to STEM Research honors course and microbiology laboratory.  

“Day after day I watch Dr. Brown go above and beyond in the classroom, in her lab and with her students,” Isabella Hall, who took this course, wrote in a letter supporting the nomination. “Throughout the course, Dr. Brown continuously encouraged the students to become involved in undergraduate research and provided us with many resources and outlets to embrace research. Dr. Brown holds a special place in my heart because that was the first time I decided that I wanted to pursue research as a career, which changed my life forever. Without her help, I would not be where I am today.”

In addition to her teaching duties, Brown serves as the associate director of undergraduate research and experiential learning in the Division of Biological Sciences, a faculty fellow for STEM in the Honors College, and a mentor to postdoctoral trainees and doctoral, graduate and undergraduate students.

“The standard that Dr. Brown establishes in her lab and the care she has for her students is unmatched,” graduate students in her lab wrote in support of her nomination. “Dr. Brown’s consistent drive to do the best for her students and help them reach their own personal goals distinguishes her from the typical professor and mentor.”

Brown blurs the boundaries between cutting-edge research and science teaching in a way that highlights active learning experiences.

“She designed and brought to life a microbiology-based research project that gets students excited about research in the STEM fields,” Amanda Herrera, an assistant teaching professor in the Honors College who co-taught a course with Brown, wrote in support of the nomination. “Pam is very passionate about helping students get started in undergraduate research.”

This is one of numerous awards recognizing Brown’s achievements. She received the College of Arts and Science Associate Professor of the Year Award in 2024, the Maxine Christopher Schutz Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2023 and the Mentor of the Year Award from Mizzou’s Office of Undergraduate Research in 2021.

Brown earned a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology from the University of Connecticut in 2000 and a doctoral degree in microbiology from the University of Georgia in 2006.