Microbial Evolution & Genomics

BIOGRAPHY

Vivek Kapur, B.V.Sc., Ph.D., has served on the faculty at the University of Minnesota since 1995 with primary appointments in the Medical School and College of Veterinary Medicine. He was the founding Director of the University of Minnesota's Advanced Genetic Analysis Center, and is Director of the Biomedical Genomics Center with overall responsibility for directing the genetic and genomics research and services core laboratories at the University.

Dr. Kapur received his training in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India and a PhD in Veterinary Science from Penn State in 1991. From 1992 through 1995, Dr. Kapur was a postdoctoral research associate and junior faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where he worked on understanding the molecular mechanisms by which human and animal pathogens cause disease.

Dr. Kapur's current research focuses on using genomics based approaches to elucidating the basic mechanisms by which microbes cause disease and the host responds to infection. He leads a large international consortium of investigators as Program Director of the Johne's diease integrated project (www.jdip.org), and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence, The Merck Agvet Award for Teaching, the Rotary Foundations Freedom from Hunger Award, and the Schofield Medal in 2002. He has chaired and served on numerous study sections including at the National Institutes of Health and US Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Kapur is also a principal and co-founder of GeneMining, LLC, a genomics consulting and services company since 2000, ANDX, a post-genomic biotechnology company focused on spearheading the development and commercialization of the next generation of proprietary animal diagnostics since 2002, and Syntiron LLC in 2004, with in interests in developing vaccines against human pathogens.