If mitochondria are the powerhouse of cells, Ilhem Messaoudi, PhD, is the mitochondria of the microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics department.
As the department chair, she brings the energy to her team of faculty, staff, and trainees. Her mission is to help her department flourish by hiring the best and brightest researchers and facilitating an environment of support, discovery, and “team science.” She knows that collaboration breeds success, and that goal gives her the energy to bring people together.
Dr. Messaoudi arrived to the U.S. from Tunisia when she was 17 years old. Her goal: become a “kickass scientist.”
“I was not very complicated,” she jokes. “Everything I’ve done has really been driven by that.”
She grew up reading books about famous male scientists like Louis Pasteur, but sprinkled within were famous female scientists like Barbara McClintock and Marie Curie.
Dr. Messaoudi’s focus was obtaining a college education so she could follow her scientific idols. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, and then her PhD from the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
“To go to college was one of the steps toward achieving that dream and pushing the boundaries,” Dr. Messaoudi says. “I wanted to lead and inspire other people to be as excited about science and about seeing strong women in positions of power and leadership as I was.”
She continued pushing the boundaries in her career for the love of science, and that career led her to where she is today – chairing the UK College of Medicine Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics and serving as acting vice president for research for the University of Kentucky.
As acting VPR, Dr. Messaoudi leads the University’s research enterprise, overseeing the development of research proposals, administration of grants and contracts, human subjects’ protection, 14 multidisciplinary research centers, and eight service core facilities. She also provides leadership for the university’s eight Research Priority Areas focused on addressing Kentucky’s most pressing challenges.
The power of team science
Dr. Messaoudi has always loved “team science.” To this day, she has only written one R01 as the sole principal investigator (PI).
It is not for lack of publications – she has been part of almost 200 publications – but rather, because she gets genuine joy from working with other people. Dr. Messaoudi says she thrives at UK because of its collaborative atmosphere. Research buildings are mere walks away from the large hospital system in Lexington.
“UK is a really great place. The people here are so collaborative and so friendly and give each other so much grace,” she says. “It's a great place for somebody like me. It fits my personality. I know it provides more support for the way that I want to do science.”
With an Emerging Themes for Research Program award from the UK Office of the Vice President for Research, she was able to start the Consortium for Understanding and Reducing Infectious Disease Research at the University of Kentucky (CURE-KY). This interdisciplinary team involves multiple UK colleges and the Markey Cancer Center. Research areas include microbial pathogenesis, vaccines, animal health, engineering, and public health.
The team will work “to combat the threat of infectious diseases through transdisciplinary research directed at the prevention and treatment, targeting those diseases that significantly endanger humanity.” It will address vaccine hesitancy, build trust within the community, and pass along essential skills to the next generation of scientists.
CURE-KY embodies Dr. Messaoudi’s career mission: bringing experts together for the advancement of research.
“Dr. Messaoudi is a passionate researcher with a love for science that is infectious (pun intended). Dr. Messaoudi has an incredible talent for breaking down research silos and bringing together faculty with shared interests, yet highly diverse expertise—this is not a small task,” expressed Krystle A. Lang Kuhs, PhD, MPH, associate professor in the UK College of Public Health and CURE-KY team member.
“The CURE-KY consortium brings together clinicians, epidemiologists, behavioral researchers, and basic scientists from five UK colleges and centers to address the numerous infectious disease threats plaguing the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”
Readying the next generation
Dr. Messaoudi feels a sense of duty to succeed as chair, but there is another underlying motivation: being a parent to a young son and daughter.
By far, her proudest moment this year was when her son came back from school, giddy because his teacher Googled Dr. Messaoudi during class. When the search brought forth the news pieces, the videos, and articles about UK’s research, he proudly told everyone, “that’s my mom.”
Having trained in a male-dominated research industry, this moment was a dream for Dr. Messaoudi. If she has it her way – and with her tenacity, she will – more future scientists will have opportunities to share in these proud moments.
She hopes that each day, her hard work and vibrant energy can serve as a catalyst for all who have a dream – and that includes her two young children.
“I want my daughter to know that she can do whatever she wants,” she says. “And I want my son to know that he can too, but also that women can kick ass.”
This story was an excerpt of Dr. Messaoudi’s feature in the UK College of Medicine’s annual report, “Our Care in Action: A Year in the Life.” Read more about her – and 13 others across the college: https://medapp.mc.uky.edu/yearinthelife/index.html