Dia Beachboard

Dia Beachboard serves as an Assistant Professor in the College of Sciences at DeSales University, specializing in host-pathogen interactions with a primary focus on coronaviruses and antiviral innate immunity mechanisms.

Her academic journey began with undergraduate microbiology research on Mycobacterium ulcerans at the University of Tennessee under Dr. Pamela Small. She advanced to Vanderbilt University for graduate studies, investigating coronavirus manipulation of host cell membranes with Dr. Mark Denison, specifically examining post-translational modifications of membrane modification proteins. Her postdoctoral training at Duke University in Dr. Stacy Horner's lab centered on host proteins regulating antiviral innate immunity, where she discovered a key trafficking protein facilitating signaling protein-membrane interactions.

The Beachboard Lab employs mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) as a model coronavirus to dissect three immune evasion strategies: viral replication within protective membranes, cleavage of host innate immune proteins by viral proteases (particularly nsp5-encoded), and sequestration of immune proteins. Current research prioritizes viral protease mechanisms that disable host defense systems through targeted protein cleavage.

Dr. Beachboard teaches core courses in Microbiology, Immunology, and Virology at DeSales University while maintaining active laboratory research. Her work bridges fundamental virology with translational insights into coronavirus-host dynamics, emphasizing molecular mechanisms of immune evasion. Outside academia, she engages in crafting hobbies including crochet, cross stitch, and sewing with her cats.