Nathaniel Hafer

Nathaniel Hafer is an Associate Professor at the UMass Chan Medical School, affiliated with the Program in Molecular Medicine and multiple graduate schools including the T.H. Chan School of Medicine and Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. He serves as the UMCCTS Research Navigator, coordinating clinical and translational research initiatives and pilot funding programs.

• BS in Biology from Pennsylvania State University
• PhD in Molecular Biology from Princeton University

His research spans point-of-care testing and biomedical innovation, with recent focus on SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics, rapid antigen test performance, and health equity in testing distribution. Earlier work includes Drosophila genetics and radiation countermeasures.

Current trends in his publications highlight machine learning in diagnostics, decentralized clinical trials, and community-based testing strategies. He has received significant attention for studies on COVID-19 testing protocols, including high Altmetric scores and policy references.

Hafer collaborates extensively with institutions like NIH, CDC, and MIT, and has developed programs such as the I-Corps initiative for biomedical entrepreneurship. His work emphasizes technology commercialization and public health infrastructure.