Dr. Mohamed Abouelkhair, assistant professor and director of the Virology Laboratory at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, is one of eleven faculty members recently selected for the UTK Research Development Academy (RDA), a collaboration between the Office of the Provost, the Division of Diversity and Engagement, and the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development.

The RDA is designed to support tenure-track faculty from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds who have the potential to contribute to the University of Tennessee’s discovery mission and advance the University’s values of diversity and inclusion.

The RDA focuses on empowering diverse tenure-track faculty to advance their own scholarly agenda in research, scholarship, and/or creative activities in a collegial environment with supportive guidance.

“My academic research encompasses focal areas including microbial bioinformatics, the development of new molecular assays (including CRISPR) for the detection of existing and emerging infectious diseases, cancer research, tumor microenvironment, and viral immunology,” says Dr. Abouelkhair. “My lab is currently focusing on translating novel molecular biomarkers into clinical oncology practice, with the overarching goal of improving cancer care and survival through the use of genomic, genetic, bioinformatics, informatics, statistical, and molecular approaches.”

Working with the state veterinarian, Dr. Abouelkhair was instrumental in the UTCVM Virology Laboratory’s ability to test animals for SARS-CoV-2 earlier this year.

The RDA Scholars come from across the university and have a wide range of interests and goals.