J. Gordon Carlson joined the faculty of the university’s Department of Zoology and Entomology as its head in 1947, held that position until 1967, was designated Alumni Distinguished Service Professor in 1962, and retired in 1978. From 1955 to 1972, he was also director of the Institute of Radiation Biology at the university. He gained recognition as a specialist in cell and radiation biology, and his more than 80 publications form the legacy of a career that earned him international prominence.
In 1947 he became a consultant to the Biology Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and in 1961 he was president of the Tennessee Academy of Science.
His intellectual contributions to the life of the university have been recognized by the placement of a plaque in his honor on a faculty study, and his donated papers are in UT Library’s Special Collections.