Dawn Field

Dawn Field of Monterey, Virginia died May 2 ^nd 2020 at University of Virginia Hospital. She was born on July 20, 1969 in Chicago, Illinois.

She is survived by her son Ryan Matthew Gonzalez-Field; her parents, John M. and Suse Bauser Field, all of Monterey; and her friend and former husband, Felipe O. Gonzalez of the U.K. and Iowa.

She will be mourned by family and friends in this country and overseas.

She was a very loving mother who encouraged her son to think independently and practice kindness of heart. She always thought of family first.

Dr. Field was a molecular biologist with a deep interest in language. At the time of her death she was the founder of Unity in Writing LLC, a developmental editing company for scientific and literary writing.  It was her hope that she could grow this enterprise to become an opportunity for training and employment in the community.

She grew up in Richmond, VA, graduated from The College of William and Mary and received her doctorate from the University of California, San Diego.

Her contributions to science include founding the Genomics Standards Consortium, the Genomic Observatories Network and Ocean Sampling Day. She also collaborated on metagenomics studies in the Western Channel Observatory in the U.K.

In 2015 the University of Oxford Press published her book Biocode, The New Age of Genomics.

She was a Senior Research Fellow of NERC Center of Ecology and Hydrology and was jointly appointed Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and was a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution.

Most recently before returning to Monterey, she served as International Guest Professor, Lamberg and Waernska, at the University of Goeteborg in Sweden.

Her abiding concerns included the advancement of women in science, the protection of environmental diversity and religious liberty.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Highland Rescue Squad, PO Box 268, Monterey, VA 24465 or to the cause of your choice.

Taking current governmental recommendations into consideration, the family will consider a Memorial Celebration in the future.