Biography

Richard Zhao basic science research interest is to study virus-host interactions, viral pathogenicity and antiviral drug development. He uses a unique approach in his research by combining the tools of molecular biology, fission yeast genetics, mammalian biology and virology into a single theme. The adaptation of this unique research approach was rooted from his scientific training and working experiences. He was originally trained in molecular biology and microbial genetics at Oregon State University. He received his postdoctoral training in fission yeast genetics at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University. He started his own research laboratory in 1994 at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine where he came up the idea of using fission yeast as a model to study HIV. He was later awarded with an endowed research chair as the Bernard L. Mirkin PhD/MD Research Scholar. He published more than 120 peer-reviewed scientific articles, serves/served on a number of journal editorial boards including Cell Research, Cell and Biosciences, Frontiers in Virology, Microbial Cell, PLoS One and Retrovirology. In addition, he chaired or served on a number of NIH grant review study panels or sections. He reviewed scientific grant applications for funding agencies of over ten different countries. He is currently a tenured Professor of Pathology, Microbiology-Immunology and Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

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Research Interest

HIV/AIDS, Zika virus and anticancer therapies,gene-based diagnostics, translational genomics and individualized molecular testing for precision medicine.