David Dunigan

David Dunigan serves as a Research Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, affiliated with the Nebraska Center for Virology. His pioneering work redefines viral roles in biological systems through investigations of chloroviruses and giant DNA viruses.

Education:

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Virology - Cornell University (1985-1988)
• Ph.D., Biochemistry - The University of Connecticut (1985)
• B.S., Life Science/Chemistry - University of Southern Indiana (1977)

Dr. Dunigan's research centers on the evolving concept of 'virus' through the Five Great Questions framework. His team discovered that chloroviruses function as ecological catalysts and food sources (virovory) in aquatic systems, while also exhibiting directed movement (virotaxis). Current work examines potential neurological disorder links through mammalian cell infection studies, challenging traditional boundaries between viral pathogenesis and environmental virology.

As a core member of the Nebraska Center for Virology, he bridges molecular virology with ecosystem science. His laboratory investigates virion structure, genome evolution, and infection-induced metabolic changes using interdisciplinary approaches spanning biochemistry, genomics, and environmental monitoring to unravel viruses' roles in planetary health.