March 28, 2022

SEC Announces Dr. Alison Buchan Wins 2022 Faculty Achievement Award for University of Tennessee

By: SEC Staff
SECU (Twitter: @TheSECU)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Dr. Alison Buchan, the Carolyn W. Fite Professor of Microbiology in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named winner of the 2022 SEC Faculty Achievement Award for the University of Tennessee, the SEC announced on Monday.

Dr. Buchan is a marine microbial ecologist studying the interactions heterotrophic marine bacteria have with one another, using a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the physiology, ecology, and impact of microbes and viruses, which perform fundamental transformations in the earth’s ecosystems. She also serves as interim head of the department of microbiology. Dr. Buchan has received continual funding from the National Science Foundation since 2005, and she was recently elected as a fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology. She has also garnered numerous awards, including the Chancellor’s Award for Professional Promise in Research.

“Dr. Buchan is an outstanding and engaged scholar, teacher, and leader who is driven by a desire to help others,” said Dr. John Zomchick, Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor at the University of Tennessee. “Her research is innovative and groundbreaking; her teaching is inclusive and inspiring; and her service to the department and university is exemplary. Dr. Buchan’s integrity, respect for others, and strong sense of community reflect everything we, as the SEC, want our faculty to be.”

To receive an SEC achievement award, the faculty member must have achieved the rank of full professor; have a record of extraordinary teaching, particularly at the undergraduate level; and have a record of research that is recognized nationally and/or internationally. University winners will receive a $5,000 honorarium from the SEC and will become their campus nominee for the SEC Professor of the Year Award, which will be announced later this month.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Alison Buchan.