SMBE: Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, July 17, 2023: Kayla KIng is a Professor in the Departments of Zoology and Microbiology & Immunology at the University of British Columbia, as well as Professorial Fellow of Evolutionary Ecology in the Department of Biology, University of Oxford. Her research focuses on the evolution, ecology, and genomics of host-parasite interactions using a combination of experimental evolution, computational approaches, and collections from the wild. Kayla received a BSc from UBC in Vancouver working with Dolph Schluter, followed by a MSc at Concordia University in Montreal with David Marcogliese, a PhD at Indiana University with Curt Lively, followed by a prestigious Royal Society Newton Post-doctoral Fellowship at the University of Liverpool with Greg Hurst. She started as an Associate Professor (2013) before being promoted to Full Professor (2019) at Oxford. Her honours include the Canadian Society of Zoologists R.A. Wardle Medal (2023), the Zoological Society of London Scientific Medal (2022), the Linnean Society Bicentenary Medal (2020), the Philip Leverhulme Prize for Biology (2018), a European Research Council Starting Grant (2018), and the American Society of Naturalists Early Career Investigator Prize (2013). She is also an elected Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (2023).
"This award is intended for outstanding members of the SMBE community who are in the midst of their research careers (8-15 years post-Ph.D.). The primary criterion is a record of truly outstanding research that has contributed broadly to the field of Molecular Biology and Evolution. The ideal candidate will be one whose career embodies the values of the society, for example in mentoring, outreach, and teaching. The prize includes recognition at the annual SMBE banquet, a cash prize of $2000 and a travel award to attend the annual meeting. This award will be made annually."
Source: SMBE Mid-Career Excellence Award