Five members of the Brandeis faculty-Profs. Robert Meyer (PHYS), Carolyn Cohen (BIOL), Michael Gilmore (ENG), Rachel McCulloch (ECON) and K.C. Hayes (BIOL)- retired after this semester, according to a May 15 BrandeisNOW press release.

Meyer, who has taught at Brandeis for 33 years, is a member of the Condensed Matter and Biophysics Experiment research group, serves as the director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center and has held the position of chair of the Physics department. In 2004, Meyer received the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics from the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia and in 2005, he won the Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize from the American Physical Society.
Cohen, who has been a faculty member for 40 years, "is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Founding Fellow of the Massachusetts Academy of Sciences," according to the press release.

Meyer and Cohen could not be reached for comment by press time.

Gilmore has spent 37 years in the University's English department, in addition to serving as chair of the department, according to the press release.

In an interview with the Justice, Gilmore said that his time at the University was "very satisfying and productive" and that he will remember the students with whom he has worked. Gilmore, who has authored several books, said that he plans to not only spend time working on a new book, but also to "take time to reflect" on his career and retirement.

Hayes, who has served as chair of the Biology department and will continue his role as director of the Foster Biomedical Research Laboratories, has spent 28 years at the University, according to the press release. During those years, Hayes contributed to the development of Smart Balance butter substitute with his research on the effect of diet on lipid and glucose metabolism. In 2008, he became a fellow of the American Society for Nutrition and in 2011 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Malaysian Palm Oil Industry.

In an interview with the Justice, Hayes said his time teaching was "delightful." Although Hayes will not be formally teaching anymore, he will keep his laboratory at the University. According to Hayes, his goal is to continue his research to build a "newer and better" version of Smart Balance.

McCulloch, who has taught at the University for 24 years and served as chair of the Economics department, has published almost 100 scholarly articles, according to the press release. She is a member of the Academic Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and serves on the Board of Editors for the Journal of International Economics and Economic Policy.

In an interview with the Justice, McCulloch said that she plans to continue research and look into teaching after retirement. McCulloch also said she plans to spend more time in Washington, D.C., where her grandchildren reside and her main academic collaborator works.