Dr. William J. Murphy wins JoAnn Treat Research Excellence Award

COLLEGE STATION, TX - Dr. William J. Murphy, associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences of the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, is this year's recipient of the JoAnn Treat Research Excellence Award.

Established by The Board of Trustees of the Texas A&M Research Foundation, the award is open to faculty at any of The Texas A&M University System components. It recognizes exceptional contribution to the faculty member's field of research, administered through the Foundation, during the past five years. The award is named in honor of JoAnn Treat, who served 19 years as president of the Research Foundation before retiring in August 2003.

The Foundation announced the award at their annual councilor/trustee fall meeting held on December 11, 2009. Murphy received a $10,000 award and a commemorative plaque. He will also have his name recorded on the JoAnn Treat commemorative glass vase displayed in the Research Foundation lobby.

Murphy's main research interests are feline genomics and mammalian phylogenetics. Specifically, his work is focused on mapping and annotating the domestic cat genome and studying the Y chromosome of cats and dogs.

"Mapping the feline genome will facilitate the identification of genes involved in feline diseases and should have a major impact on improving feline health," he said. "It will also enable the use of the domestic cat as a model for human disease."

Murphy's research also focuses on mammalian phylogenetics and conservation genetics.

"We are specifically seeking to understand the underlying genetic and environmental changes that contribute to the diversification and extinction of mammalian populations and species," he said.

Murphy received his Ph.D. in biological sciences in 1997 from Tulsa University. He completed his postdoctoral work at the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity of the National Cancer Institute, and worked as a senior scientist at NIH before joining Texas A&M University in 2004.

He has published over seventy articles in peer-reviewed journals, including Science and Nature. His lab is funded by the National Science Foundation, USDA, Morris Animal Foundation, AKC-Canine Health Foundation, Winn Feline Foundation, The Snow Leopard Conservancy, and the National Geographic Foundation.

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