In Memoriam: Daniel N. Hebert

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Daniel N. Hebert, 62, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at UMass Amherst for 27 years, died Sunday, Dec. 8.

Hebert earned his Bachelor of Science in chemistry at the University of New Hampshire and obtained his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in 1991. His post-doctoral work at the Yale School of Medicine demonstrated the potential of working at the nexus of cell biology and biochemistry. He joined the faculty at UMass Amherst in 1997 and made seminal discoveries about a new “code” of information: how carbohydrate modifications act as signals to facilitate the proper folding and quality control of a large fraction of the proteins in our bodies – those that are secreted from cells via the endoplasmic reticulum.

Work from the Hebert Lab has laid the foundation for understanding how sugars contribute to diseases such as diabetes, genetic lung disorders, liver cirrhosis, Alzheimer’s and many others.

Hebert loved teaching and enjoyed getting his students excited about science. His passion for science, his devotion to critical thinking and his strict interpretation of well-designed experiments were passed on to his trainees.

Visiting hours will be held at Douglass Funeral Home, located at 87 North Pleasant St. in Amherst, on Thursday, Dec. 19, from 4-7 p.m. A funeral service will be held at the Newman Center on Friday, Dec. 20, at 10 a.m., to be followed by a memorial reception at the Student Union Ballroom at 11 a.m.

A complete obituary for Hebert can be found on the Douglass Funeral Home website. In lieu of flowers, Hebert’s family requests that donations be made in his memory to a molecular and cellular biology graduate scholarship award at UMass. Donations, which should reference Daniel Hebert in the memo line and be sent to: University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation, 134 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA 01003.