William Brown, a respected professor of biological sciences and a leader at Carnegie Mellon University, died Sunday at UPMC Presbyterian of complications following brain surgery.

A resident of Point Breeze, he was 62 and had been a member of the faculty since 1973, when he started as an assistant professor at the Mellon College of Science.

"He was a remarkable man," said colleague Elizabeth Jones, the Dr. Frederick Schwertz Distinguished Professor of Life Sciences who also joined Carnegie Mellon in 1973. "He was just absolutely devoted to students and to the university. He was an absolute rock of a colleague. He was the kind of person who did everything and never took credit for it."

His death stunned the campus. After a bike accident several weeks ago in which he injured his head, doctors discovered a brain tumor. Two subsequent surgeries to remove it failed.

In his 34 years at Carnegie Mellon, Mr. Brown rose to prominence, serving as acting head of the biological sciences department from 1993 to 1995 and department director from 1995 to 2000. He also served as head of the faculty senate for a time and won numerous awards, including the university's Robert Doherty Award for his contribution to education in 2004.

Mr. Brown was most recently a visiting professor of biological sciences at the university's campus in Qatar and special assistant to Chuck Thorpe, dean of the school in the capital, Doha.

Echoing the comments of many, Mr. Thorpe said Mr. Brown loved teaching and helped make the Qatar campus a "real part of Carnegie Mellon; rigorous, demanding and at the same time exciting and fun."

Describing Mr. Brown as "unstoppable," Mr. Thorpe said his friend couldn't understand why people thought there was nothing to do in Doha. When Mr. Thorpe directed him to a local bike shop and later asked him if he'd found it, Mr. Brown had not only located it but excitedly explained in detail all the places he had already explored.

"Bill was passionate in everything he did," said Mr. Thorpe. "He didn't do anything half-throttle."

When he won the Doherty award three years ago, colleagues who supported his nomination described him as a "wonderful teacher, deeply concerned with the learning and development of students."

Christine Wang, 27, one of his graduate students, said he was smart, open-minded and supportive, even when experiments didn't go as planned.

"He is the best teacher and mentor anyone could ask for," she said. "He is very encouraging all the time. He's a really good cheerleader."

Mr. Brown, who received his doctorate from the University of Minnesota in 1971 and his post-doctoral fellowship in biophysics from Yale University two years later, was known as an innovator who advanced science education in any way he could.

He was aggressive in using computers to teach biology and in improving science education in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. He helped establish the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences for talented high school students, which is now in its 25th year, and the Internet Connectivity and Teacher Resource Center at the Carnegie Science Center, where he served on the board of directors.

In 2005, Mr. Brown helped launch the master's degree program in biotechnology and management.

He helped develop educational technology through the university's Technology Advanced Learning Lab and several Latin American universities, taking advantage of the fluent Spanish he had learned growing up for a time in South America, where his father was in the timber business.

"He was always pushing the envelope in education and research," said Amy Burket, associate department head for undergraduate affairs in the biological sciences department.

Aside from his academic duties, Mr. Brown served on numerous committees.

"Bill was involved with many different aspects of the university, including leadership of the faculty senate," said his colleague David Dzombak, a research collaborator with Mr. Brown and professor of civil and evironmental engineering. "He was always a voice of reason that people looked to for guidance."

Mr. Brown also served on review and advisory boards for science education programs for the National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Institutes of Health.

In his spare time, he enjoyed traveling and cycling. Just last month, he rode in the Multiple Sclerosis Bike Ride from Pittsburgh to Erie.

Mr. Brown is survived by his wife, Linda, and sons Kevin and Eric. The funeral is private and there will be no visitation. Carnegie Mellon will hold a campus tribute this fall.

Contributions may be made to Carnegie Mellon University for the Dr. William E. Brown Scholarship Fund, c/o Sharon King, 6 PPG Place, 11th Floor, Pittsburgh 15222-5488.