Neuroscience’s Michael A. Fox to hold I.D. Wilson Chair in the College of Science
Michael A. Fox poses for a photograph in his lab, wearing a lab coat
Michael A. Fox, professor of neuroscience and biological sciences and director of the School of Neuroscience in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, will hold the I.D. Wilson Chair in the College of Science. The appointment was recently approved by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The I.D. Wilson Chair in the College of Science was established in 2014 by alumnus Luther Hamlett. The chair is named for the long-time faculty member and administrator in Virginia Tech’s Department of Biology. Hamlett is a strong supporter of the Academy of Integrated Science, one of most significant initiatives in the College of Science.
Fox was named director of the School of Neuroscience in July 2020.
A member of the Virginia Tech faculty since 2012, Fox is a nationally recognized neuroscientist and an expert on understanding how neuronal circuits form in the developing brain. More recently, he has applied his expertise and knowledge to understand how common pathogens impact the long-term maintenance of these circuits following infection.
Since arriving at Virginia Tech, he has received more than $15 million in extramural research grant funding, with more than $6 million coming to his own laboratory. In addition to running his internationally recognized laboratory, Fox direct programs for undergraduates interested in research.
He is a committed mentor and some of his recent graduate students have received a number of prestigious awards and recognition, including career transition awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), being listed as a Forbes Top 30 Scientist Under 30, receiving the Virginia Tech Graduate Student of the Year award, being named an NIH Outstanding Scholar in Neuroscience, and receiving a Research!America microgrant.
Fox, who is also a faculty member with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, created the Developmental and Translational Neurobiology Center (now the Center for Neurobiology Research) at the institute, as well as the institute’s Translational Neurobiology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program.
During his career, Fox has received numerous awards and honors including both the Jordi Folch Pi Award and the Marian Kies Award from the American Society for Neurochemistry, the University Leadership Award from Virginia Commonwealth University, and recent induction into the Virginia Tech Academy of Faculty Leadership.
Fox has served as a counselor for the American Society for Neurochemistry, on several leadership committees for the Society for Neuroscience, and as a reviewer (and chair) for National Institutes of Health review panels.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary and a Ph.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University. He completed postdoctoral training at Harvard University.
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