Ronald Corley, PhD, to Step Down as Chair of Virology, Immunology & Microbiology
Ron Corley, PhD, professor and chair of Microbiology since 1994, has announced his intention to step down as chair of Virology, Immunology & Microbiology when his successor is named.
Ron has served in many additional roles at BU, including director of the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) from 2014-2022, associate director of the NEIDL from 2007-2014, BUMC associate provost for research from 2009-2014, and chair ad interim of Genetics & Genomics from 2007-2008.
Ron worked tirelessly along with a university-wide team to open the NEIDL, now an internationally recognized center of excellence for emerging infectious diseases. The department was ranked 15th in NIH funding among Microbiology departments in 2022. His experience in faculty recruitment and team building has fostered a sense of shared commitment throughout his department, the NEIDL the Medical Campus and the University. He leaves a legacy of support, collaboration, and training program development building a critical mass in important research areas, including RNA viral biology and pathogenesis.
His research focuses on the relationship between innate and adaptive immunity, and how components of those two discrete systems interact to generate long-lasting protective immune responses. Ron earned a BS in zoology and PhD in microbiology and immunology from Duke University and did his postdoctoral work at the Institute for Immunology, Basel, Switzerland. Prior to coming to BU, he served on the faculty at Duke University.
He is a member of many professional societies, including the American Association of Immunologists, American Society for Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology and Immunology Chairs, and was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2014.
A search will be underway for his successor.