Hurdle, Hyde honored with School of Medicine Research Excellence Award

Texas A&M University School of Medicine closed out 2023 recognizing the exceptional work of Jenny Hyde, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, and Julian Hurdle, PhD, professor in the Department of Translational Medical Sciences, with the Faculty Research Excellence Award as junior and senior investigators.

Each year, the School of Medicine may recognize two faculty members as outstanding researchers at different stages in their career for the junior and senior Faculty Research Excellence Awards. These awards were established to recognize investigators’ accomplishments and their standing in the national and international scientific community. An awardee’s research must have provided novel insights into the important biological processes and/or a better understanding of diseases that can lead to the improvement of human health and well-being.

A faculty member since 2010, Hyde’s research interest and expertise is focused on the characterization of Borrelia burgdorferi pathogenesis, the causative agent of Lyme disease, through the utilization of molecular genetic methodologies. Specifically, she has focused on characterizing the borrelial genes required for pathogenesis in the mammalian host and tick vector. During her 24 years in this field of research, she has obtained a broad range of skills in bacterial genetics, molecular biology and mammalian infection model.

Hyde earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Texas A&M University in 2000 and a PhD in medical sciences in 2005 from the Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health). Following her postdoctoral work at the Texas A&M School of Medicine, she joined the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology as a faculty member.

Hurdle joined the faculty at the Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology (IBT) in 2015 and is a leader in the C. difficile field. His research focuses on resistance of C. difficile to traditional antimicrobial therapy and the discovery and evaluation of new drug candidates for C. difficile infections. Over the last decade he has systematically pursued and discovered the molecular determinants that C. diff uses to resist metronidazole therapy, which caused the drug to be ineffective in patients and contributed to the pathogen spreading around the world. Additionally, his discovery of new drug technologies to stop C. diff from producing toxins may offer promising ways to combat this pathogen.

Hurdle earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology from the University of the West Indies in 2000 and a PhD in molecular microbiology from the University of Leeds in 2005. After his postdoctoral work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, he joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Arlington and then the IBT as associate professor in the Center for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases.