Karolina Mukhtar, Ph.D.After a competitive national search, Karolina Mukhtar, Ph.D., has been named the chair of the Department of Biology in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s College of Arts and Sciences.
The Department of Biology is home to the second-largest undergraduate major on UAB’s campus and boasts the top-ranked biological sciences graduate program in the state of Alabama. Within the department, 26 full-time faculty and eight adjunct faculty are dedicated to research and teaching with broad scientific interests ranging from the molecular to the ecological level.
Mukhtar’s research explores the molecular underpinnings of plant immune systems and cellular responses to climate change-triggered environmental stresses. After earning her Ph.D. at the Max-Planck Institute in Cologne, Germany, she completed post-doctoral training at Duke University and began her faculty position in UAB’s Department of Biology in 2010.
“Dr. Karolina Mukhtar is a highly accomplished scientist, teacher, and academic leader. She has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles and received national and international recognition for her outstanding work,” said Kecia M. Thomas, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Mukhtar received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2014 and the 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers. She was the first UAB faculty member to receive the PECASE distinction.
She and her students have presented their research at meetings worldwide, including the 2007 XIII International Congress on Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions in Sorrento, Italy; the 2019 International Society of Plant-Microbe Interactions international conference in Glasgow, U.K.; and the 2022 32nd International Conference on Arabidopsis Research ICAR2022 in Belfast, Ireland.
Mukhtar is a member of the Multinational Arabidopsis Steering Committee (MASC), serving on the “Plant Immunity” subcommittee. In addition, she pursues a very active educational outreach program for K-12 science teachers, and she directs PEER-BUDS, a summer bridge program funded by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.
“Dr. Mukhtar has served in many leadership roles across UAB. She has served as past chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Senate Caucus, and she has been a member of the UAB Faculty Senate’s Executive Committee, the UAB Commission on the Status of Women, and the Blazer Core Committee,” said Thomas. “Her excellence has been recognized through the 2022 UAB Graduate Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentorship, the 2019 UAB President's Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the 2019 CAS Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching.”
While at UAB, Mukhtar has also served in many roles for the Department of Biology, including Associate Director of Graduate Programs (2017-2018), Associate Department Chair and Undergraduate Program Director (2018-2022), and Interim Department Chair (2022-present).
“I have been privileged to work alongside the biology faculty, staff, and students at UAB for nearly 13 years. The opportunity to steer my home department into the next chapter of growth is a tremendous honor and responsibility,” said Mukhtar. “Working closely with the leadership of the College of Arts and Sciences, we will build on our academic, research, and outreach excellence to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for developing the next generation of STEM leaders. Additionally, I look forward to growing the department and building on the culture of diversity, equity, respect, and belonging that we have established.”
“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of her professional stature and leadership experience leading the Department of Biology into its next era,” said Thomas. “We are also grateful to the search committee and its chair, Dr. Richard Dluhy, for their due diligence.”
