Michael Benedik

Michael Benedik is a Regents Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Texas A&M University. He has held significant administrative roles including Dean of Faculties, Vice-Provost, and Chief International Officer at Texas A&M, as well as Provost at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar. His research focuses on molecular microbiology, bacterial persistence, antibiotic resistance, and bioremediation, with over 100 peer-reviewed publications and an h-index of 42. He has mentored 35 graduate students and postdocs.

Education: B.A. (Biology, University of Chicago, 1976) and Ph.D. (Biology/Molecular Genetics, Stanford University, 1982).

Research Interests: Dr. Benedik’s work explores engineered microbes for environmental cleanup, antibiotic resistance mechanisms, and persister cell biology. His lab uses molecular tools to study CRISPR-Cas systems, prophage regulation, and bacterial stress responses. Key contributions include cyanide-degrading enzyme engineering and understanding persister cell resuscitation pathways.

Administrative Contributions: Served on Texas A&M’s Faculty Senate, chaired the University Grievance Committee, and co-developed strategic plans (2020-2030 Vision, 2020-2025 Strategic Plan). Current roles include editorial board memberships and active peer review.

Labs/Teams: Research groups focused on molecular microbiology and bioremediation at Texas A&M, with collaborations in Qatar during his provost tenure.