The Iowa State Board of Regents voted today against overturning a university decision last year to deny tenure to Guillermo Gonzalez, an assistant professor of astronomy who has publicly supported the idea of intelligent design, an offshoot of creationism.

Mr. Gonzalez was denied tenure in May 2007, and his first appeal was denied by Iowa State’s president, Gregory L. Geoffroy.

John McCarroll, director of university relations at Iowa State, said the board had voted, seven to one, against Mr. Gonzalez’s appeal.

Mr. Gonzalez had a promising research career before arriving at Iowa State, but his work in recent years had less impact among fellow astronomers, according to an analysis by The Chronicle. Members of his department have said they voted against tenure based on the potential of his future scholarship, but e-mail records a year before their decision showed that they had also considered his support for intelligent design as a problem in his tenure case.

Mr. Gonzalez could pursue his case in the courts, but he told The Des Moines Register today that “I’m going to consult with my friends and lawyers what my options are, and I’ll decide with my wife what the best course of action will be.” —Richard Monastersky