PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The American Society for Microbiology announced Feb. 24 that it has elected Walter Atwood, professor of biology at Brown University, as a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.

Atwood and 78 peers from 13 countries were selected “through a highly selective, peer-review process, based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology,” according to a society statement.

Atwood, who studies viruses, has been focused in particular on polyomaviruses, which are pervasive among people but only sicken those with compromised immune systems. Among many findings in that work, he has identified a compound that appears to control polyomavirus spread in lab tissue samples.

“This means a great deal to me and I am honored and humbled to have been elected to AAM,” Atwood said. “I've been studying microbiology since my undergraduate days and I was thrilled to be recognized in this way. The work I’ve done over the years would not have been possible without the hard work of many others who contributed greatly to the research.”