معرفی
Marco Salemi is a Full Professor of Experimental Pathology at the Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine of the University of Florida College of Medicine. He holds the Holloway Chair for research in Chronic and Infectious Diseases and serves as Interim Director of the UF Emerging Pathogens Institute. With training as a Marie-Curie Fellow and post-doctoral scientist under Walter M. Fitch, he specializes in molecular evolution of viruses and phylogenetic analysis.
- Research Focus: Molecular epidemiology, intra-host viral evolution, phylodynamic methods for pathogens (HIV/SIV, HCV, HTLV, influenza, SARS-CoV-2, MRSA, Shigella, Vibrio cholerae)
- Technical Expertise: Bayesian coalescent framework, genome-wide SNPs analysis, high-throughput sequencing protocols, bioinformatic pipelines, machine learning for big data
Key Contributions: Over 200 peer-reviewed publications in journals like Nature, Science, and PNAS with >10,000 citations (h-index 49). Pioneering work on SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance in Florida and the Caribbean since 2020, including tracking variants and developing detection tools.
- Scientific Awards:
- UFRF Professorship Award (2025)
- Exemplary Teacher Award (2020)
- Term Professorship Award (2017)
- NIH R01 grants for HIV/SIV pathogenesis, SARS-CoV-2 analysis, and AI epidemic forecasting
Teaching Philosophy: Emphasizes critical thinking and scientific method understanding. Develops computational biology courses for biomedical students while mentoring international trainees in molecular techniques and data analysis. His educational efforts directly inform research through continuous learning and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Labs & Collaborations: Maintains a research lab with weekly meetings, trains visiting scholars, and fosters international partnerships through workshops and student exchanges. Leads a genomic surveillance program sequencing hundreds of SARS-CoV-2 samples weekly in Florida/Caribbean.
