October 4 – The College of Agriculture and Human Sciences has named Erdogan Memili, Ph.D., as the next Executive Associate Director of Research. He will begin his new role on February 1, 2022.
Erdogan Memili, Ph.D.
In the role, Memili will be responsible for the strategic direction, oversight, operation, and coordination of research activities for the college and its Cooperative Agricultural Research Center (CARC).
Memili currently serves as professor of animal and dairy sciences and director of the Laboratory of Animal Functional Genomics at Mississippi State University.
“We attracted several high-quality applicants locally and nationally,” Dean and Director of Land Grant Programs Gerard D’Souza, Ph.D., said. “We were impressed by Dr. Memili’s qualifications, experience, and vision for research in our college. We are excited to welcome him to the CAHS family, and we look forward to a strong research trajectory under his leadership that will propel us to even greater heights and more national visibility.”
Memili graduated as a veterinarian from Istanbul University and conducted graduate research in microbial genetics and mammalian embryo development during his master’s and doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He conducted epigenetics stem cell research during his postdoctoral research at Harvard University, followed by basic and applied research on the development of transgenic animals in Boston at Genzyme Transgenics. He completed his postdoctoral training and faculty sabbatical at Harvard and Cornell Universities, respectively.
In research, Memili leads a research group engaged in fundamental research to improve fertility in livestock for food security using systems biology approaches within the concept of systems physiology.
Interim Executive Associate Director of Research Alfred Parks, Ph.D., will continue to serve in the role through the end of January.