February 01, 2021
Veterinary faculty members elected AAAS fellows
Five faculty members at U.S. veterinary colleges, including two veterinarians, are among the 489 fellows chosen by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the largest scientific society in the world, in 2020.
The honor, dating back to 1874, is bestowed annually on members of AAAS who are nominated by their peers and recognized for their efforts to advance science and society. Each fellow is expected to maintain the highest standards of scientific integrity and professional ethics.
New fellows were formally announced in the journal Science on Nov. 27, 2020, and they will be inducted during a virtual Fellows Forum ceremony on Feb. 13.
Section on agriculture, food, and renewable resources
Dr. Pablo Juan Ross is a professor in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
His research focuses on reproductive biology with an emphasis on gamete and embryo development, epigenetic remodeling during embryonic development, somatic cell nuclear transfer, embryonic stem cells, and induced pluripotency. He also does work in the development and application of assisted reproductive techniques in livestock species.
Dr. Ross received his veterinary degree in 1999 from La Plata National University in Argentina. He went on to earn a doctorate in animal science in 2007 from Michigan State University.
Section on biological sciences
William J. Murphy, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.
Dr. Murphy’s research focuses on mammalian comparative genomics, phylogenomics, biogeography, and molecular evolution as well as feline genomics, including genome mapping, sex chromosome genetics, speciation, and mechanisms of reproductive isolation.
He graduated in 1997 from the University of Tulsa with a doctorate in biological sciences. From 1997-2003, he did postdoctoral work in the laboratory of genomic diversity at the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. James Roth is a distinguished professor in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He is director of the Center for Food Security and Public Health and executive director of the Institute for International Cooperation in Animal Biologics; both are World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Collaborating Centers.
Dr. Roth’s primary area of research expertise is immunity to infectious diseases in food-producing animals. He has also developed educational courses and online training related to emerging and zoonotic diseases and disease control.
Dr. Roth received his veterinary degree in 1975 from Iowa State and a doctorate in immunology from ISU in 1981. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists.
Section on medical sciences
Shan-Lu Liu, MD, is a professor of veterinary biosciences at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He is also the program director of the viruses and emerging pathogens program at the OSU Infectious Diseases Institute.
Dr. Liu’s research focuses on host restriction to viral infection and viral countermeasures. He also does work in viral cell-to-cell transmission, innate immunity to and sensing of viral infection, mechanisms of viral membrane fusion and entry, cell signaling, viral oncogenes, and human lung cancer. The viruses he has studied include HIV, Ebola, influenza A, Zika, hepatitis C, and oncogenic sheep retroviruses.
He received his medical degree in 1989 from Henan Medical University, now Zhengzhou University School of Medicine, in China. He went on to earn a doctorate in virology and gene therapy in 2003 from the University of Washington School of Medicine. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in 2004.
Lisa A. Miller, PhD, is a professor of anatomy, physiology, and cell biology at the UC-Davis veterinary school. She is also the associate director of research for the California National Primate Research Center.
Dr. Miller does research on the impact of environmental exposure, such as air pollution, allergens, and microbes, on pulmonary and immune system development. Other research focuses on lung development, respiratory toxicology, developmental immunology, immunotoxicology, and pediatric lung disease.
Dr. Miller has three doctorates from UC-Davis and one from Stanford University School of Medicine.