Five faculty members from the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology have been recognized for their excellence in research and teaching through named scholar positions and distinguished promotions. Congratulations to Sayee Anakk, Auinash Kalsotra, Paola Mera, Lori Raetzman, and Joe Sanfilippo!
Sayeepriyadarshini (Sayee) Anakk has received a Distinguished Promotion from Associate Professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology to Professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology. Anakk received her PhD from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. Her research interests include understanding liver metabolism in normal and diseased states and studying how nuclear receptor signaling regulates biliary homeostasis and adipogenesis. She teaches MCB 465: Human Metabolic Disease, and MCB 509: Current Topics in Molecular & Integrative Physiology.
Auinash (Nash) Kalsotra has earned a Distinguished Promotion from Associate Professor of Biochemistry to Full Professor of Biochemistry. Kalsotra received his PhD from the University of Texas/MD Anderson Cancer Center and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. His lab studies RNA-based regulatory mechanisms necessary for normal tissue development in addition to regeneration and disease. He employs large-scale biochemical and genomics approaches along with cell-and tissue-specific gene targeting in mice to unravel the physiological function and regulation of RNA. Kalsotra teaches MCB 354:, Biochemistry and the Physical Basis of Life.
Paola Mera has earned a Distinguished Promotion from Assistant Professor of Microbiology to Associate Professor of Microbiology. Mera obtained her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Microbiology from Stanford before joining Illinois in 2020. Mera teaches MCB 431: Microbial Physiology, and her lab combines bacterial genetics, biochemistry, and high-resolution imaging to examine the molecular networks that coordinate the bacterial life cycle. She has also been named a Helen Corley Petit Scholar by the College of LAS, which recognizes newly tenured faculty members based on excellence in teaching and research.
“I am so honored to receive this award,” Mera said. “The Department of Microbiology has been an amazing home and I want to thank all my colleagues for creating such a wonderful and supportive environment.”
Lori Raetzman has earned a Distinguished Promotion from Associate Professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology to Full Professor and has been named a Dean’s Distinguished Professorial Scholar by the College of LAS. Raetzman received her PhD from Case Western Reserve University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan before joining Illinois in 2005. Her lab focuses on endocrinology and neurobiology and aims to understand the role of cell-cell signaling during pituitary development. Raetzman teaches MCB 413: Endocrinology, and MCB 580: Research Ethics & Responsibilities. She is also director of the MCB PhD program
“I am humbled to be recognized by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,” Raetzman said. “My lab members are the backbone of my research success. MCB undergrads and grad students are a pleasure to teach. Serving the university and scientific professional societies has allowed me a small way to pay it forward. Being a professor at Illinois is truly a dream job.”
Joe Sanfilippo, an assistant professor of Biochemistry, has been named a Lincoln Excellence for Assistant Professors (LEAP) Scholar by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. This award is granted to distinguished early-career faculty who demonstrate the highest caliber of academic achievement. Sanfilippo joined the university in the fall of 2020 following a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University. His lab combines interdisciplinary approaches from biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering to investigate how bacterial pathogens sense and respond to shear flow. Sanfilippo teaches MCB 501: Advanced Biochemistry.
