CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - University of Illinois microbiology professors Jeffrey F. Gardner and James A. Imlay have been elected fellows in the American Academy of Microbiology.
Gardner and Imlay were among 38 scientists from seven countries honored for 2008. Fellows of the academy are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process based on their records of scientific achievement and contributions to the microbiology field.
Gardner's research focuses on the genetics and biochemistry of DNA binding proteins. He received a bachelor's degree from Boston University and a doctorate from Marquette University, both in biology. He was a postdoctoral research associate in biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He teaches microbial genetics.
Imlay, who is a Romano scholar and associate director of graduate affairs in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, has focused his research on the molecular mechanisms of oxidative damage; cellular defenses against oxidants; and obligate anaerobiosis. He received a bachelor's degree in chemistry and English from Duke University and a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley. He returned to Duke as a postdoctoral research associate in biochemistry. He teaches advanced biochemistry.
Gardner and Imlay join more than 2,000 fellows representing many specialties in microbiology, including basic and applied research, teaching, public health, industry and government service.