Dawn P. Wooley

Dawn P. Wooley, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology at Wright State University. She holds leadership positions including Director of the Master of Science Program in Microbiology & Immunology (since 2018) and Faculty President (2024-present). Her academic service includes membership on the NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (2012-2017) and CDC's Board of Scientific Counselors (2016-2022).

Education highlights:

• Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Wisconsin, Madison (1992-1995) under Nobel Laureate Howard M. Temin, studying retroviral mutation and viral vector technology
• Ph.D. in Virology from Harvard University (1992) with Office of Naval Research and Albert J. Ryan Fellowships
• B.S. in Microbiology from Pennsylvania State University (1986), summa cum laude with Honors in Molecular and Cell Biology

Her research explores viral evolution mechanisms, pandemic virus dynamics (HIV-1, Influenza, SARS-CoV-2), gene therapy vectors, and nanotechnology applications in virology. She maintains strong focus on biosafety protocols for viral vector handling in laboratory and clinical settings.

Recent publications (2016-2025) demonstrate concentrated expertise in viral vector biosafety, occupational risk management, and detection methodologies, with applied contributions to laboratory safety guidelines and policy frameworks.

Notable scientific recognition includes:

• Albert J. Ryan Graduate Fellowship
• Office of Naval Research Fellowship
• Summa cum laude honors

She directs graduate education programs and leads university-wide academic initiatives while maintaining active research programs in virology and biosafety.