Walter Moss

Walter Moss is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology at Iowa State University. His research focuses on RNA structure and function, particularly noncoding RNAs and their roles in biological processes and diseases. He leads the Moss Lab, which investigates RNA structural motifs, viral RNA biology, and the development of tools like ScanFold for structural analysis.

Education: B.S. in Chemistry (SUNY Stony Brook), Ph.D. in Chemistry (University of Rochester), Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University (Joan Steitz Lab).

Research interests include identifying structured RNAs, understanding their roles in gene regulation and disease, and applying this knowledge to antiviral strategies. Notable achievements include producing the first PhD student (Ryan Andrews) and mentoring Warren Rouse, who won an NIH F31 award. The lab has developed key resources like RNAStructuromeDB and ScanFold 2.0.

Labs/Teams: Moss Lab, focusing on RNA structurome mapping and functional studies. Collaborative work includes antiviral drug design and structural analysis of SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and other pathogens.