Gregory Allen Ahearn

Greg was born on November 28,1943 to William and Gertrude Ahearn in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Greg spent most of his childhood in southern California, and after graduating from Arcadia High School, he received his B.A. in Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1965. He earned his M.S. from the University of Hawaii in 1967 and his Ph.D. from Arizona State University in 1970, both in Zoology. From 1970 - 1972 he did postdoctoral research in Physiology at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Greg conducted research and taught at the University of Hawaii as a Research Scientist and Professor for nearly 30 years (1972-2001). Between 2001 - 2018, he continued his research and teaching career at the University of North Florida, where he held the titles of Professor, Chair of the Department of Biology, and Presidential Professor of Biology. He retired in 2018.

Greg dedicated his life to science and education. Throughout his 50-year career in academia, he impacted countless lives through teaching and his contributions to the scientific community. He authored or co-authored 26 book chapters and reviews, 132 research articles, and 2 books. He received numerous recognitions, most notably the Fujio Matsuda Presidential Award at the University of Hawaii, and the Delaney Distinguished Presidential Award at the University of North Florida. Greg also had an exceptional ability to acquire external funding for his research through federal grants and was thereby able to employ and mentor hundreds of graduate students in his labs over the years.

Greg was an avid reader. As a lifelong learner himself, acquiring new knowledge was always a pleasure and never a chore. He also enjoyed science fiction, especially stories pertaining to heroic professors and action segments. Greg loved the outdoors, and enjoyed fishing, tennis, hiking, scuba diving, traveling, and running. In 1980, he completed the Honolulu Marathon.

In 2007, Greg met the love of his life, Bulian Pan, in Hong Kong. While separated by half the world and twelve time zones, they would communicate daily through emails, phone calls, and video messaging. Over the next year, he would travel from Florida to Hong Kong three more times to visit her. In 2008, he and Bulian were married at a ceremony near Greg’s childhood home in southern California. Greg and Bulian combined their families and spent the next 15 years at each other’s side.

Greg was predeceased by his parents William and Gertrude Ahearn and sister Maureen Johnson. He is survived by his wife Bulian Pan, his children Sean, Ryan, Marissa, Yani, Kai Ahearn, his grandson Hayden Ahearn and granddaughter Skylar Ingram.

Greg was laid to rest at Hardage-Giddens Oaklawn Cemetery on October 11th, 2022, in Jacksonville Florida with his family and closest friends in attendance.