Kristian Andersen

Kristian G. Andersen is a Professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research, with joint appointments in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology and the Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences. He directs the Infectious Disease Genomics program at the Scripps Research Translational Institute. His research focuses on understanding host-pathogen interactions, particularly the emergence, evolution, and spread of viruses like SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, Zika, and Lassa.

Andersen earned his PhD in Immunology from the University of Cambridge and completed postdoctoral work at Harvard University and the Broad Institute under Pardis Sabeti. He has pioneered large-scale international collaborations using genomic sequencing, computational biology, and fieldwork to study viral outbreaks.

His lab integrates computational methods with experimental biology to track viral evolution and improve outbreak responses. Recent work has included identifying the Wuhan market as the early epicenter of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, analyzing mpox outbreaks in West Africa, and developing wastewater surveillance systems for infectious diseases.

Andersen has advised on pandemic preparedness initiatives, including the CDC-funded California COVIDNet and SEARCH programs. His team collaborates globally through networks like the Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Consortium and the West African Research Network for Infectious Diseases.