Microbiologist to Deliver CAS Spring Lecture April 23

Date: 4/9/07
Contact: Kathy Beal

Illinois State University Professor Radheshyam K. Jayaswal will present “Evolution of Super Bug Staphylococcus aureus: How Far From the Pre-antibiotic Era?” as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Spring Lecture series on Monday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the Bone Student Center Old Main Room. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Jayaswal received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and physics and his master’s degree in molecular biology from Bombay University and his Ph.D. from Purdue University. He came to Illinois State’s Department of Biological Sciences in 1988 and established a vigorous, innovative research program focusing on the molecular biology of disease-causing bacteria Staphylococcus aureus.

In the past two decades, the worldwide spread of methicillin-resistant and now vancomycin-resistant S. aureus strains has caused a significant clinical problem. In Jayaswal’s lab, genomics approaches are used to identify new targets for the development of novel chemotherapeutic agents to control the growth of S. aureus.

Jayaswal has published 70 articles in publications such as the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Molecular Microbiology and Journal of Bacteriology, some of the field’s most prestigious journals. He has presented his research in England, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, India and the U.S. Jayaswal has received more than $1.5 million for his research from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, among others. He was named an Illinois State University Outstanding University Researcher in 2000.

Jayaswal was instrumental in developing the Illinois State master’s sequence in biotechnology and the doctoral program in molecular and cellular biology. He has served as major professor to six doctoral students and 14 master’s students as well as served on 15 doctoral and 21 master’s committees. Three of his doctoral students received the Sorenson Outstanding Dissertation Award. Jayaswal has supervised over 45 undergraduate students in his research program.