WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Jan. 17, 2018 — It’s a déjà vu moment in West Liberty University’s College of Sciences as Dr. Joseph Horzempa, associate professor of biology, has been named as one of five finalists for West Virginia Professor of the Year by the Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia.
“We are immensely proud of Joe for being picked two years in a row for this outstanding honor. It recognizes him for his strong teaching and laboratory research skills that our students benefit from daily. I wish him well as he competes for this well-deserved prize,” said Dr. Stephen Greiner, WLU president. The annual award recognizes outstanding teaching at the college level in the Mountain State.
Horzempa will interview with the West Virginia Humanities Council Board of Directors for the final selection on Tuesday, Jan. 23 in Charleston. The name of the Professor of the Year will be announced at the annual awards banquet held on April 12, also in Charleston, that will honor all five finalists as well as the winner.
Horzempa joined the faculty in 2011 and his biology lab is a busy place that offers both undergraduate and graduate students challenging research experiences. His work has been published in many scholarly journals including the October 2016 issue of the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.
In 2016, the student body named him WLU’s professor of the year in recognition of his skills. He also is the program director of WLU’s new graduate degree, the MA/MS in Biology
Since 2011, he has received over $2.2 million in grants to support the activities of his lab. He and his students continue his work on developing new antibiotics and vaccines as they research the biology of the bacterium, Francisella tularensis.
Horzempa has been researching this bacterium since he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine from 2006 – 2011.
Horzempa earned both a bachelor and Master of Science degree from California University of Pennsylvania in 2000 and 2002 respectively. He received his doctoral degree from Duquesne University in 2006.
Horzempa completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2011.
A native of Monaca Pa., Horzempa and his wife Crystal are the parents of two children, Gwen, 11 and Jack, 8.
As part of the Professor of the Year honor, the honoree will receive a $10,000 award, the runner-up will receive a smaller cash prize.
To be eligible for consideration, a professor must be associated with one of the public or private nonprofit degree-granting colleges or universities in West Virginia and be a full-time employee of the nominating institution for a minimum of five consecutive years.
West Liberty University has been singled out for this honor in the past when Dr. Zachary Loughman, also a professor in the College of Sciences, was named the 2014 Professor of the Year, earning the top award.
For more information on WLU’s College of Sciences please visit westliberty.edu/college-of-sciences.