Three MGI professors honored with College of Natural Science awards

Three members of the Department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology, or MGI, were recently recognized with awards from the College of Natural Science. Professor Christoph Adami received the Outstanding Faculty Award, University Distinguished Professor Robert Hausinger received the Research Leadership Award, and Assistant Professor Phillip Delekta was awarded the Faculty Teaching Prize.

Christoph Adami honored with Outstanding Faculty Award

Christoph Adami, Professor of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology, was awarded the 2024 CNS Outstanding Faculty Award for “outstanding total service to the University” in teaching, advising, research, publications and public service.

“Perhaps what is most remarkable about Chris is his contributions across multiple fields of science, from evolution and neuroscience to physics and artificial intelligence,” said Rich Lenski, John Hannah Distinguished Professor and University Distinguished Professor in MGI. “And it is not merely that he has contributed to each of these fields, but that he also draws deep connections that unify them based on the concepts and mathematics of information theory.”

Lenski also credits his collaboration with Adami as being pivotal in one of MSU’s major scientific successes, the BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, saying that it “would never have happened without Chris’ essential contributions.”

Adami’s exceptional creativity across a variety of disciplines is demonstrated by the enormous depth and breadth of his accomplishments. He is the author of the seminal work, “Introduction to Artificial Life,” and this year, he published his second book, “The Evolution of Biological Information: How Evolution Creates Complexity, from Viruses to Brains,” which debuted at the top of the Amazon bestseller list in Information Technology. Adami holds a patent on “Predicting Function from Sequence using Information Decomposition,” and he is principal investigator on a related grant from a venture-capital firm: “IDSeq: A new platform to infer function from sequence based on the mathematics of information.” He has published more than 170 scientific papers, including several high-profile pieces in Nature and Science, and his works have been cited approximately 16,000 times.

“Chris is undoubtedly the world’s leading expert on the application of information theory to biology,” said Lenski, “but that not is not all he has done, by a long shot. Among his papers are several on black holes, several on quantum mechanics, several on neuronal circuits and neural networks, several on gene and protein interactions and several on cooperation and game theory – in short, major contributions to a truly extraordinary range of fields.”

Adami also has tremendous influence through his mentorship. He has advised more than 20 graduate students who work in fields including computer science, biochemistry and cancer research.

Together with Frances Arnold, Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biochemistry at Caltech and Nobel Laureate, Adami has also mentored two Caltech graduate students who went on to illustrious careers.

“I was sorry to lose my close interactions with this remarkable thinker when Chris moved to MSU. But I was not surprised that he has continued to do exceptional work at MSU,” said Arnold in her nomination letter. “This synergy between theory and experiment has been a powerful source of inspiration and understanding in the evolutionary community, including evolutionary design.”

Adami’s previous honors include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Artificial Life and an Exceptional Achievement Medal from NASA. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Physical Society.

 

Robert Hausinger selected for Research Leadership Award 

University Distinguished Professor Robert (Bob) Hausinger is this year’s honoree for the College of Natural Science Research Leadership Award. This award is given to tenured full professors for “outstanding, impactful research and internationally recognized leadership in the field. The awards are based on prominent publications, funding and other criteria that signify excellence and stature in the awardee’s field.”

Hausinger researches the role of metal ions in biological reactions, and his work impacts multiple fields, including human health, agriculture, bioenergy and biotechnology.

“Bob’s research accomplishments over the past four decades have been truly phenomenal,” College of Natural Science Dean Eric Hegg wrote in a supporting letter. “Given his nearly 240 journal articles, chapters, and patents, his about 1000 annual citations, his 40 years of continuous federal funding, and his plethora of professional activities, it is easy to be overwhelmed with the sheer volume of his accomplishments. What is equally impressive, however, is the impact of his work. In fact, I don’t think there has been one major conference, book, or symposium proceeding on nickel biochemistry that does not include a contribution from Bob.”

“Any student that wishes to learn about these enzymes is best advised to pick up one of the highly cited reviews that Dr. Hausinger has penned,” wrote MGI Professor Christoph Adami in his nomination letter.

Hausinger’s nominators noted his extraordinarily impressive funding record as well as the extent and significance of his research. Hausinger has been funded continuously since he joined MSU in 1984, and his grants come from numerous federal agencies including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and United States Department of Agriculture. Additionally, he serves as a co-principal investigator for a Department of Energy research center.

“As to the breadth of his work, we only need to look at his funded projects to see that Bob is a master collaborator, bringing his expertise to bear on questions across the biological world,” wrote Victor DiRita, Rudolph Hugh Endowed Chair and MGI Department Chair. “Additionally, he has an extraordinary research portfolio, matched by sustained scholarly output, with eight publications in 2023 and several others already on board for 2024.”

Hausinger ascribes his success to his collaboration with other researchers.

“I am honored to receive the NatSci Research Leadership Award, for which the credit really belongs to my wonderful colleagues across the college,” Hausinger said. “It has been a real pleasure to lead or assist team efforts to promote the research quality and productivity on campus.”

Hausinger was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2017.

 

Phillip Delekta awarded Faculty Teaching Prize

Phillip Delekta has been named the recipient of the 2024 Teaching Prize from the College of Natural Science, or CNS.  Delekta is an Assistant Professor in MSU’s department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology, or MGI. The prize recognizes teaching excellence and is awarded annually to select fixed-term and tenure-system faculty. 

Delekta teaches two courses in MGI, and he is particularly recognized for his work as the director of the Introductory Microbiology course, MMG 301, which typically has an enrollment of 450 students and is taught as a hybrid course. 

“Working with students in a high enrollment course requires an extraordinary degree of patience, dedication, organization, and focused effort,” said MGI Associate Professor Neal Hammer. “Dr. Delekta displays all these traits, in addition to a strong commitment to service and a friendly, professional demeanor that increases collaboration and makes working with him enjoyable. It is quite amazing to reflect on the numerous improvements he's made to Introductory Microbiology and look forward to more to come! “ 

Delekta pays particular attention to the university’s social responsibility and the transformative role of education in society. 

“As a land-grant university, educating undergraduates is not only our mission but also an obligation that this institution has to the society that supports it,” Delekta said. “This educational mission is critical for improving the lives of Michiganders and fostering the critical thinking necessary for that society to prosper. My teaching efforts, along with those of the instructional team, are at the forefront of this mission. My team and I understand the importance of this mission and value the impact we have on our students' lives. This award is a much-appreciated recognition of the success that my team and I have achieved toward this goal.”  

“Dr. Phillip C. Delekta is a remarkably dedicated teacher, bringing innovation and commitment to bear in serving CNS undergraduates who benefit by taking his courses,” said Rudolph Hugh endowed chair and MGI department chair Victor DiRita.  “He is an outstanding colleague, leader and teacher, contributing to the MSU teaching mission at an exceptionally high level of performance. He is humble and motivated solely by a desire to create the beast learning environment possible in his courses. Phillip Delekta is a tremendous asset to his students, to the department, to the college, and to the university because of his hard work, talent, and a pure gift of serving others. 

The awards were conferred at a ceremony on November 15^th, 2024.

 

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