Matthew P. Hardy Young Andrologist Award

Dr. Hermann is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Dr. Hermann received his PhD in 2005 from the University of Kansas Medical Center under the supervision of Leslie Heckert where he studied transcriptional regulation of the FSH-receptor and Steroidogenic factor-1 genes. He then completed postdoctoral training in lab of Dr. Kyle Orwig at the Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh where he performed the first definitive spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) transplantation in non-human primates. With support from an NIH K99/R00 award, Dr. Hermann started his lab at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in 2011. The Hermann lab studies the mechanisms regulating SSC fate in adults during steady-state spermatogenesis, SSCs fate specification during testicular development, and potential SSC-based therapeutic strategies for male infertility. He has generated some of the first scRNAseq data relating to the mammalian testis presented it to the field in a readily accessible format that enabled many other research teams to benefit from his expertise. Dr. Hermann also directs the UTSA Genomics Core, which specializes in single-cell and spatial methodologies, and has applied those approaches to understanding the identity of SSCs and their regulatory framework.

Dr. Hermann’s authority in area of scRNAsequence and new genomics tools is reflected in the publication of 4 chapters relating to these in 2021 alone. In addition, he has been engaged in securing several grants relating not only to discerning control elements in spermatogenesis, but also to addressing the pathogenesis of encephalomyelitis and Lyme disease and developing tools for understanding brain development.

He has been an active member of the Communications and Public Affairs Committee since 2016 and now serves as its Chair.
Dr. Hermann’s work has been lauded by colleagues around North American and beyond. He has recently been named as a Fulbright US Senior Scholar to undertake research on spermatogenesis and early embryo development in livestock species with the Physiology of Reproduction group at the University of Murcia in Spain as the recipient of this prestigious position.
The diversity and depth of Brian’s contributions Andrology is indeed impressive, and the ASA is delighted to name him as the 2022 Matthew P. Hardy ASA Young Andrologist.