Steven W. Wilhelm, Ph.D., is the Kenneth & Blaire Mossman Professor of Microbiology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), where he is in his 25th year. After training at Western University, he moved to the University of Texas and then University of British Columbia before joining the UTK faculty. In 2016, he became a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM), as well as a Sustaining Fellow of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO). In 2021, he was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2021, he was awarded (with Curtis Suttle) the John Martin award from ASLO for their contribution describing the viral shunt.

He studies synergies between microbial communities and biogeochemical cycles in lakes and oceans. Lab members use biomolecular tools—DNA/RNA sequencing, metabolomics and PCR-based quantitative analyses—to study viruses, bacteria and algae. His research is well-supported by various funding agencies; moreover, he is PI of an NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates program that is entering its 10th year. His group has graduated 16 Ph.D.’s and 8 M.S..’s and engaged >100 undergraduates in research. Notable service includes more than a decade as graduate director and associate head, multiple editorial advisory boards and presently the AAM Subcommittee on Elections.