Farooq Azam

Farooq Azam (born in Lahore, Pakistan ) is a researcher in the field of marine microbiology. He is a distinguished professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California, San Diego. Farooq Azam grew up in Lahore and received his early education in Lahore. He attended University of Punjab, where he received his B.Sc. in chemistry. He later he received his M.Sc. from th...

Farooq Azam (born in Lahore, Pakistan ) is a researcher in the field of marine microbiology. He is a distinguished professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California, San Diego. Farooq Azam grew up in Lahore and received his early education in Lahore. He attended University of Punjab, where he received his B.Sc. in chemistry. He later he received his M.Sc. from the same institution. He then went to Czechoslovakia for higher studies. He received his PhD in microbiology from the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. After he received his PhD, Farooq Azam moved to California. Azam was the lead author on the paper which coined the term microbial loop. This 1983 paper involved a synthesis between a number of leaders in the (then) young field of microbial ecology, specifically, Azam, Tom Fenchel, J Field, J Gray, L Meyer-Reil and Tron Frede Thingstad. In addition to introducing the concept of the microbial loop Azam is responsible for bringing conceptual advances in several areas of marine microbiology. He is a leader in identifying the importance of microscale patchiness in the marine environment, and that bacteria can respond to patchiness in nutrient fields and particulate organic matter. This area of research is now pursued more actively in the field at large with the introduction of advanced digital and single cell imaging. He and then graduate student Kay Bidle also showed that the dissolution of diatom frustules was accelerated by bacteria, as opposed to being a strictly abiotic process as previously thought. He and former post-doctoral researcher Alexandra Worden introduced the concept of Eco-systems Biology in 2004. Eco-systems Biology (or Ecosystems Biology) has since been adopted by the field, empowered by the advent of high-throughput sequencing platforms. Honors and awards 2026 - Kyoto Prize in the category "Basic Sciences - Biology". 2019 - Elected to the Academia Europaea (European Academy of Science and Letters) 2016 - Elected to the American Academy of the Arts and Sciences 2013 - D. C. White Research and Mentoring Award, 2013 Archived 2013-12-13 at the Wayback Machine 2006 - John Martin Award, ASLO 2006 - Nan-Qiang Forum for Distinguished Scientists Lecture, Xiamen University, PRC 2004 - Elected Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology 2004 - Doctor of Philosophy, honoris causa, U. Kalmar, Sweden 2004 - Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, Scripps, UCSD 2004 - Tiedje Award, International Society for Microbial Ecology 2002 - ISI Highly Cited Researcher 1997 - C. B. Van Niel Memorial Lecture, Stanford University 1996 - Plymouth Marine Sciences Lecture & Medal 1996 - Excellence in Research Award, UCSD 1995 - Eminent Scholars Series Lecturer, U. South Florida 1995 - G. Evelyn Hutchinson Award (ASLO) 1985 - Honorary Staff Member, Ecology Institute, Germany 1984 - Rosenstiel Medal in Oceanographic Sciences 1984 - Steinbach Visiting Scholar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute 1983 - Distinguished Visiting Scholar, SUNY, Stony Brook Antarctic Service Medal of the USA Faculty of 1000, Present References External links Farooq Azam's webpage at Scripps Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Webpage of Farooq Azam's Lab