Renowned Virologist Robert A. Davey to Lead NEIDL, BU’s Infectious Diseases Research Hub

Robert A. Davey has worked in high-containment labs for more than 20 years and has been a Boston University National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) faculty member since 2018. BU Brink story by Andrew Thurston photo by Cydney Scott

Internationally renowned virologist Robert A. Davey has been named interim director of Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL). An expert on virus-host interactions and antiviral drug discovery, he replaces Nancy J. Sullivan, an Ebola treatment and vaccine pioneer, who is stepping down to focus on her research; Sullivan will remain a member of BU’s biology and medical faculty.

Davey is a BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine professor of virology, immunology, and microbiology; his work has been published in a range of influential journals, including Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He also serves as vice chair of the BU Biosafety Committee. As NEIDL’s interim director, he’ll be leading a national hub for the safe study of infectious diseases and pathogens, including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Marburg, Zika, and yellow fever. In recent years, the academic research center has also helped propel advances in our understanding of COVID-19, with BU experts—including Davey, a NEIDL faculty member since 2018—opening up new pathways for vaccines and treatments.