Mohamed Seleem named Tyler J. and Frances F. Young Chair in Bacteriology
Mohamed Seleem, recently appointed professor of bacteriology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, has been named the Tyler J. and Frances F. Young Chair in Bacteriology by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The Tyler J. and Frances F. Young Chair in Bacteriology is named for an alumnus and his wife who endowed the position in their memory. Tyler J. Young earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in biological sciences in 1934 and 1938, respectively, from Virginia Tech and then completed a doctor of veterinary medicine degree at Auburn University in 1940.
The first Tyler J. and Frances F. Young Chair in Bacteriology was Thomas J. Inzana, who held the position from 2003 until his retirement from the university in 2018.
Seleem, who will lead the veterinary college’s efforts in building infectious disease research capacity, arrives from Purdue University, where he developed a distinguished research program that achieved national and international recognition over the past nine years.
As the section head of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics, he conducted research on developing new antimicrobials, leading to 12 U.S. patents.
His research has been dedicated to bacteriology, bacterial pathogenesis, and antimicrobial drug discovery, and he has authored or co-authored more than 140 scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals.
Widely recognized for his scholarship, Seleem has received the Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teaching Award, the Purdue Veterinary Medicine Excellence in Research Award, the Seed for Success Award, and the Zoetis Excellence in Research Award.
Seleem’s world-renowned antimicrobial drug discovery research program, which has earned substantial funding from such agencies as the National Institutes of Health, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, will contribute to Virginia Tech’s long-term research goals.
Along with his research, Seleem is deeply dedicated to teaching, training, and mentorship at all levels, including graduate students and D.V.M. students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty, many of whom have gone on to highly successful academic careers in related areas.
Seleem earned a master’s degree and a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Assiut University in Egypt, and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech, followed by postdoctoral work at Cornell University, exploring virulence factors of intracellular pathogens.
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