Dean's Dialogue: Understanding Virus Evolution to Solve Human Problems

Join us for a conversation with Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis and Dr. Paul Turner on the topic, Understanding Virus Evolution to Solve Human Problems. Attendees will have opportunities to ask questions. Refreshments will be provided at the conclusion of the event.

Understanding Virus Evolution to Solve Human Problems is the latest installment in the Dean's Dialogue Series, which invites faculty members to speak with Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis and students about contemporary and sometimes challenging topics. One of the series' goals is to model conversation as a mode of engagement.

Dr. Paul Turner is the Rachel Carson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) at Yale University, and Microbiology faculty member at Yale School of Medicine. He obtained a BA in Biology (1988) from University of Rochester, a PhD in Microbial Evolution (1995) from Michigan State University, and did postdocs at National Institutes of Health, University of Valencia in Spain, and University of Maryland-College Park, before joining Yale in 2001. Turner previously served as Director of Graduate Studies and Chair of EEB, and as Interim Dean of Science. He currently serves as Director of the Center for Phage Biology and Therapy at Yale, and also directs Yale’s Quantitative Biology Institute. Dr. Turner studies evolutionary genetics of viruses, particularly phages (bacteria-specific viruses) that infect bacterial pathogens and RNA viruses transmitted by mosquitoes, and researches the use of phages to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial diseases. He is very active in science-communication outreach to the general public, and is involved in the Yale National Initiative where faculty collaborate with K-12 teachers to improve STEMM education in underserved public schools. Dr. Turner’s current service includes the National Science Foundation’s Bio Advisory Committee and President-elect of the International Society for Evolution, Medicine and Public Health. His honors include Fellowships in the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and American Academy of Microbiology.