Jimmy Dikeakos, PhD, has been appointed as Chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, effective February 1, 2026 to January 31, 2031.

Dr. Dikeakos is Past-President of the Canadian Society for Virology. He obtained a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Montreal and received postdoctoral training in HIV Pathogenesis at the Vollum Institute at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. In 2012, he joined Schulich Medicine & Dentistry where he directs a laboratory focused on diverse membrane trafficking pathways in both infected and non-infected cells. His research program is primarily focused on the HIV-1 accessory proteins Nef and Vpu. In the last two years, Dr. Dikeakos has shifted his research interests to study SARS-CoV-2 and highly pathogenic avian influenza.

In 2019, Dr. Dikeakos received the Dean’s Award of Excellence from Schulich Medicine & Dentistry for his achievements and was designated a Faculty Scholar at Western in 2022. He has served as the Graduate Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology since 2021.