06/10/2026
Congratulations to Dr Selinsky on this well deserved honor!
This , many congratulations to Professor of Chemistry Barry Selinsky, PhD, recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Teaching Award!
“I truly value this recognition of my efforts to provide unique experiences for our Chemistry students,” said Dr. Selinsky. “We work with students side by side, engaging them in our research while teaching the practices and subtleties necessary for success in science."
Dr. Selinsky’s researches dual-function enzymes, a group of proteins that trigger two separate chemical reactions in sequence. “The best-known example is cyclooxygenase, involved in the preparation of prostaglandins and important in pain and inflammation, he said." His work focuses on bacterial enzymes that carry out similar reactions. "In plants, these are needed to make hormones, but we don’t know what their function is in bacteria.”
Over his 38 years at Villanova, Dr. Selinsky has embraced the University’s teacher-scholar model, maintaining high-caliber research while also guiding countless students to a deeper understanding of the chemistry behind our everyday lives. In the Selinsky Lab, students produce and purify enzymes for further study, often sharing their findings at national or international conferences. This spring, four Villanovans presented at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology conference in Washington, D.C.
“I particularly enjoy topics that relate complicated concepts to life experiences encountered by students, such as disease,” he added. “Most of these lessons have general applications, helping students to make intelligent decisions and solve life problems,” he said. “I have always believed that every student should have the opportunity to work with a faculty mentor and benefit from individualized, personalized instruction and guidance. Working with students in this manner has been the most fulfilling contribution that I have made at Villanova.”
