UTSA professor Bernard Arulanandam selected by peers as fellow of national microbiology association

Internationally renowned immunologist recognized for excellence in scientific discovery and the field of microbiology.

As UTSA's Interim Vice President for Research, Bernard Arulanandam provides leadership to grow and advance the research programs by UTSA faculty and staff.


(April 25, 2017) -- Bernard P. Arulanandam, Jane and Roland Blumberg Professor in Bioscience and Interim Vice President for Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), has been named a Fellow by the American Academy of Microbiology.

Elected by his peers in the scientific community, Arulanandam will be honored for his contributions to the field of microbiology at the annual Academy Fellows gathering on Friday, June 2 in New Orleans.

Since joining the faculty at UTSA in 2001, Arulanandam has made significant contributions in the field of microbiology as a researcher and faculty member. He has conducted innovative research in vaccine development related to the pathogens Chlamydia trachomatis, which causes the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia, Francisella tularensis, which causes the respiratory infection tularemia, or "rabbit fever," and Acinetobacter Baumannii, a pathogen that has seen an uptick in occurrence in injured soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As UTSA's Interim Vice President for Research, Arulanandam provides leadership to grow and advance the research programs by UTSA faculty and staff and to further strengthen UTSA's research relationships.

"Throughout his career, Bernard Arulanandam has made impactful contributions in research and, more importantly, in leadership development through his sustained commitment to teaching and training the next generation of microbiologists," said George Perry, dean of the UTSA College of Sciences. "With this honor, he joins a growing number of UTSA microbiologists from the College of Sciences who are recognized by their peers across the nation for their commitment to excellence."

In 2014, Arulanandam was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was selected for a 2016-17 Fulbright International Education Administrator Seminar award.

Arulanandam has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers in the fields of microbiology and beyond. He has received funding from numerous governmental and non-governmental agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense (DOD).

He has served as the director of the UTSA South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (STCEID), one of the premier centers for the study of infectious diseases in the nation, where their focus is the origin and development of emerging and bio threat-related diseases.

He was also instrumental in securing funding to establish the UTSA Center for Excellence in Infection Genomics, a DOD-funded center that supports microbiology research, teaching and outreach activities aligned with Army priorities.

He is also a scientific director of the Vaccine Development Center of San Antonio, a partnership between UTSA, UT Health San Antonio, Southwest Research Institute and the Texas Biomedical Research Institute in which they all collaborate in infectious disease research and vaccine development and promotion.

Arulanandam obtained his Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the Medical College of Ohio and an M.B.A. at UTSA.

He is the fifth UTSA professor to be elected to Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. Others UTSA Fellows include Karl Klose, professor and current director of the STCEID (2015); Floyd Wormley, professor and associate dean of research and graduate studies (2016); Jose Lopez-Ribot, professor and associate director of the STCEID (2016); and Garry T. Cole, professor emeritus (1999).

Founded in 1955, the American Academy of Microbiology is the honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology, the world's largest life science organization. The mission of the Academy is to recognize scientists for outstanding contributions to microbiology and provide microbiological expertise in the service of science and the public.

UTSA is ranked among the top 400 universities in the world and among the top 100 in the nation, according to Times Higher Education.

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Learn more about Bernard Arulanandam.

Learn more about the South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases and microbiology and immunology at UTSA.

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