Nicholls Biology Professor Awarded UL System Outstanding Faculty Member

Alcee Fortier Distinguished Service Professor of Biological Sciences Dr. Raj Boopathy received the UL System Outstanding Faculty Member Award at the For Our Future Conference March 26 through 28 in Lake Charles.

“It was an honor to receive the UL System’s Outstanding Faculty Member Award representing Nicholls. I want to thank Dr. John Doucet, dean of the College of Sciences and Technology for nominating me for this award. I am very grateful for the support given to me by our university administration, from my department head all the way to the President of Nicholls,” said Dr. Boopathy. “I also want to thank my colleagues and all the supporting staff members of our university. This award was possible because of the numerous outstanding students that did research in my lab over many years, and their work resulted in numerous scientific publications. I am proud that all of these students are now very successful professionals.”

“Dr. Raj Boopathy is not only an internationally recognized researcher but is also one of the top educators and student mentors at Nicholls State University. Among his nearly 200 research publications, 30 are co-authored by undergraduate students and 44 by graduate students, who were all mentored in his laboratory,” said Dr. John Doucet.

“In addition to valuable benchtop and field experiences under his mentorship, his students present their research achievements in conferences both in the US and around the world, and many have won competitive prizes for their work at these events. He has served as major professor for the thesis research of 25 graduate students and 17 honors students. Largely for these reasons, Dr. Raj has been honored by his students at Nicholls with the annual Outstanding Student Mentorship Award – not once or twice but rather eight times. The students he’s mentored have progressed to and through graduate and professional schools to careers in industry, governmental agencies and university faculty. His research acumen informs his teaching, which is the best possible education for students in the sciences. As well, to the benefit of students and their future, these are the best combination of talents in a university faculty member.”

Raj has been a professor of Biology at Nicholls since 1999. For both his mentorship and classroom teaching, Dr. Boopathy has received the Presidential Teaching Award from Nicholls, the Waksman Award for Outstanding Microbiology Educator from the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, and the World Class Professor Award from the Government of Indonesia.

The Universities of Louisiana For Our Future Conference is a two-day event with programming designed to inspire and continue in the collective journey to create the most educated generation in Louisiana’s history. The topics discussed included serving students holistically, fulfilling purpose through teaching and research, and operating through a lens of stewardship and strategic growth. Priority themes highlighted throughout the conference included core competencies, diversity and inclusion, and modernization and technology.