Kirkley joined the Knox faculty in 1992. "Professor Kirkley has worked with colleagues in both the biology and chemistry departments to shape what has become a very strong major in biochemistry," said Lawrence B. Breitborde, Dean of the College, "Her teaching has a reputation for rigor and clarity."
Kirkley's research in immunology is supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. She also received a Knox College Faculty Initiative award for a collaborative project to develop a cell biology workshop. Kirkley also has won the Philip Green Wright-Lombard College Prize, which recognizes excellence in teaching by a member of the Knox faculty.
Kirkley's research, which includes virology and the study of HIV, has been published in the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology and The Proceedings of the Association of American Physicians.
Kirkley earned her bachelor's degree in biology and English from The College of William and Mary, and her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology at George Washington University.
Founded in 1837, Knox is an independent, four-year, liberal arts college, located in Galesburg, Illinois, with 1,100 students from 42 states and 33 nations. Knox's "Old Main," a National Historic Landmark, is the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.
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