Richard M Longnecker

Richard M Longnecker serves as the Dan and Bertha Spear Research Professor and Professor of Microbiology-Immunology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. His institutional affiliations include the Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS), Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics, and Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-Based Center.

He earned his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1987, completed postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago (1988), and advanced his research at Harvard University (1992).

Dr. Longnecker's research program investigates herpes simplex virus (HSV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) pathogenesis with emphasis on viral oncology, latency mechanisms, and molecular transformation processes. His laboratory develops animal models to study viral entry mechanisms, host cellular receptors, and screens selective inhibitors for EBV-associated cancers including Hodgkin lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma. Current work explores how viral proteins rewire intracellular signaling to promote infection and oncogenesis, aiming to develop novel therapeutics targeting herpesvirus life cycles.

His 2024 publications demonstrate interdisciplinary breadth across structural virology (herpesvirus tegument architecture), neurovirology (TMEFF1 restriction factor in HSV brain infection), and proteomics (host factor identification via proximity labeling). These studies collectively advance understanding of viral entry mechanisms, host defense evasion, and tissue-specific pathogenesis.

Notable scientific recognition includes:

• Bernard Roizman Speaker, International Herpes Virus Workshop (2019)
• Dan and Bertha Spear Research Professor, Northwestern University (2011)
• Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology (2010)
• John Edward Porter Professor in Biomedical Research, Northwestern University (2008)
• Stohlman Scholar, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (2000)

As a principal investigator in the Driskill Graduate Program, Dr. Longnecker mentors doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in virology research. His laboratory receives funding from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and National Institutes of Health, supporting investigations into viral pathogenesis and therapeutic development. Current projects include characterizing viral fusion mechanisms and host restriction factors in herpesvirus infections.

The Longnecker laboratory maintains active collaborations across Northwestern's research ecosystem, particularly with the Lurie Cancer Center and NUCATS, utilizing advanced imaging, proteomics, and animal model facilities to dissect herpesvirus-host interactions in epithelial and hematopoietic systems.