UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Vivek Kapur, professor of microbiology and director of the Biomedical Genomics Center at the University of Minnesota, has been named head of Penn State’s Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, effective July 1.

"Vivek has a distinguished record of accomplishment as a scholar and administrator," says Robert Steele, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. "His research in genomics has led to a greater understanding of how bacteria cause diseases in their hosts, and, as a result of his leadership, the center that he co-founded has become a model for cross-disciplinary biomedical research.

“He has demonstrated excellence in research and teaching, and in communicating the relevance of his research,” Steele says. “We believe his knowledge and experience will enhance our existing strengths in veterinary diagnostics, environmental toxicology, and immunology and infectious disease."

Kapur joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota in 1995 as an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology and soon was appointed director of the Advanced Genetic Analysis Center. In 1999, he was promoted to associate professor, and in 2001, he helped to establish the university’s Biomedical Genomics Center and was named its co-director. He assumed sole responsibility for the center in 2003, the same year he achieved the rank of full professor in the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Kapur is internationally recognized for his research in microbial genomics. He is best known for his pioneering work in completely sequencing the genomes of several of the world’s major human and animal pathogens, including Pasteurella, Mycobacterium, Staphylococcus, Brucella, Lawsonia, and Cryptosporidium. The results of these studies have provided key insights into how microbes cause disease and have led to the development of powerful new diagnostic tests and novel vaccines with major global implications in disease control.

Kapur’s record of academic accomplishments includes more than 100 original published articles and six U.S. patents. He leads an international consortium of scientists studying Johne’s disease, one of the most important infectious diseases of cattle worldwide, and he is the recipient of several national and international awards for his research in microbial genomics.

“The greatest strengths of the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences are the extraordinarily high caliber and productivity of the faculty, the incredible diversity of programmatic interests, and the direct linkage to the real world through the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory and the cooperative extension program,” Kapur says. “There is a profound sense of responsibility associated with leading a department that houses many of the strongest research and teaching programs -- and some of the most productive faculty -- across the university.

“The demonstrated institutional commitment to making Penn State one of the best comprehensive research universities in the world has been remarkable, and the continued support of the leadership in helping realize a shared vision built on excellence in research, teaching and service will be essential to the long-term success of the department,” he adds.

Kapur received his bachelor's degree in veterinary medicine and his master’s degree in poultry science, both from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India. He earned his doctorate in veterinary science from Penn State in 1991 in the same department that he is now returning to lead.

From 1991 to 1995, Kapur was a postdoctoral research associate and instructor in the Department of Pathology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

The mission of the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences is to seek and disseminate new knowledge related to animal health and human well-being and to apply new biomedical and biotechnological knowledge to solve practical problems affecting animal agriculture and agricultural productivity.

The department offers undergraduate programs in animal bioscience, toxicology, and immunology and infectious disease. Students in the department’s graduate program in pathobiology can choose a research emphasis in immunology, toxicology or pathogenesis of disease.

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Chuck Gill 814-863-2713 cdg5@psu.edu