David S. Roos

David S. Roos is the E. Otis Kendall Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences. He leads research on protozoan parasites, focusing on Toxoplasma and Plasmodium, combining genetics, genomics, and computational biology to study host-pathogen interactions. His work bridges evolutionary biology, cell biology, and drug discovery.

Education: Postdoc (Helen Hay Whitney Fdn., Stanford), PhD (Rockefeller University, 1984), AB (Harvard, 1979).

Research interests include parasite cell biology, apicoplast function, drug target discovery, and comparative genomics. His lab uses forward/reverse genetics, chemical biology, and bioinformatics. Key tools include oligonucleotide microarrays and CRISPR-based mutagenesis.

Scientific contributions span parasite life cycle regulation, immune evasion mechanisms, and genomic resources like EuPathDB. He co-leads international efforts to develop pathogen databases (OrthoMCL, TDR Targets) and trains researchers globally in bioinformatics.

Teaching includes courses on biochemistry, infectious disease mechanisms, and parasite biology. Active in developing computational tools for pathogen research and advocating for open-access genomic resources.