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Frank Aylward

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
aylward
5092 Derring Hall (MC 0406)
926 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061
USA
faylward@vt.edu
(540) 231-8657

Major Field of Interest

Microbial diversity, microbial evolution, giant viruses, genomics, bioinformatics

Current Research

Research in the Aylward lab is broadly focused on microbial diversity and genome evolution. Ongoing projects examine multiple different microbial groups, including giant viruses, bacteriophage, and several lineages of marine bacteria and archaea. 

  • 2014-2017 Postdoctoral Researcher. Advisor: Edward F. DeLong, Center for Microbial Oceanography Research and Education, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI.
  • 2013-14 Postdoctoral Researcher. Advisor: Edward F. DeLong, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.
  • 2008-13 PhD in Microbiology, Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI. Awarded in August 2013.
  • 2004-08 B.Sc., double-major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
  • 2019 Simons Early Career Investigator in Marine Microbial Ecology and Evolution Award
  • 2019 Outstanding Research Award, VT Biological Sciences
  • 2018 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Ocean Sciences.
  • 2018 ICTAS Junior Faculty Award
  • 2012 International Society for Microbial Ecology Travel Grant (€750).
  • 2012 Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship (one year stipend and $1,500 for travel).
  • 2011 Fellowship from the Hopkins Microbiology Course in Pacific Grove, CA ($3,900).
  • 2009 Honorable mention, Graduate Research Fellowship Program, NSF.
  • 2007 Van de Velde Undergraduate Research Scholarship, University of Arizona ($1,000).
  • 2006 Galileo Circle Undergraduate Research Scholarship ($1,000).

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