Donald Morrison named University Scholar
Professor Donald Morrison has been named University Scholar for 2016-2017. This recognition comes with a $15,000 per year award, for three years, for his demonstrated excellence and to show the University’s commitment to fostering outstanding faculty members and their work.
Dr. Morrison is being recognized for his pioneering work on the biology of Streptococcus pneumoniae, the universal human pathogen responsible for pneumonia, meningitis, and middle ear infections in humans. Professor Morrison has been a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences for over 40 years and a Full Professor since 1987. He has devoted his scientific career to the study of pneumococci genetics and bacterial communication. His major accomplishments include the identification of the first pneumococcal pheromone and its highly creative utilization for the development of genetic tools to study harmful bacteria. In recognition of his research contributions, he received the LAS Researcher of the Year Award in 2010. In addition to his outstanding research achievements, Dr. Morrison has been a highly successful educator at the undergraduate and graduate levels, a good citizen both on campus and to the larger scientific community, and a prominent ambassador of UIC nationally and internationally.
The University Scholar program was designed to identify outstanding faculty members who are among the very best in their fields. Dr. Morrison joins a select group of colleagues with this recognition.
Congratulations!