FINALIST — Joseph Horzempa, associate professor of biology at West Liberty University, is among five finalists for West Virginia Professor of the Year, to be selected by the Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia. -- Contributed

WEST LIBERTY — West Liberty University’s College of Sciences Joseph Horzempa, associate professor of biology, once again, has been named as one of five finalists for West Virginia Professor of the Year by the Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia.

“We are immensely proud of Joe for being picked two years in a row for this outstanding honor. It recognizes him for his strong teaching and laboratory research skills that our students benefit from daily. I wish him well as he competes for this well-deserved prize,” said Stephen Greiner, WLU president.

The annual award recognizes outstanding teaching at the college level in the Mountain State.

Horzempa will interview with the West Virginia Humanities Council Board of Directors for the final selection on Tuesday in Charleston. The name of the Professor of the Year will be announced at the annual awards banquet held on April 12, also in Charleston, that will honor all five finalists as well as the winner.

Horzempa joined the faculty in 2011 His work has been published in many scholarly journals including the October 2016 issue of the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.

In 2016, the student body named him WLU’s professor of the year in recognition of his skills. He also is the program director of WLU’s new graduate degree, the MA/MS in Biology

Since 2011, he has received over $2.2 million in grants to support the activities of his lab. He and his students continue his work on developing new antibiotics and vaccines as they research the biology of the bacterium, Francisella tularensis.

Horzempa has been researching this bacterium since he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine from 2006 to 2011.

Horzempa earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from California University of Pennsylvania. He received his doctoral degree from Duquesne University in 2006.

Horzempa completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2011.

A native of Monaca Pa., Horzempa and his wife Crystal are the parents of two children, Gwen, 11 and Jack, 8.

As part of the Professor of the Year honor, the honoree will receive a $10,000 award, the runner-up will receive a smaller cash prize.

To be eligible for consideration, a professor must be associated with one of the public or private nonprofit degree-granting colleges or universities in West Virginia and be a full-time employee of the nominating institution for a minimum of five consecutive years.

The Faculty Merit Foundation was created in 1984 to provide a means to recognize and reward innovation and creativity among the faculties of West Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities. Through the Professor of the Year program, the outstanding achievements of those individuals are brought to the attention of the general public.