Rachel Roper, PhD

Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
Adjunct Professor, Biology
Adjunct Professor, School of Dental Medicine
BS, Texas A&M University
MS, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
PhD, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry

Dr. Roper is a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at East Carolina University (ECU) in the Brody School of Medicine. She received her B.S. from Texas A & M University and her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

She was a recipient of the M.A. Hare Research Excellence Award at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and during her post-doctoral training at the National Institutes of Health Lab of Viral Disease, she was awarded the NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence.

Dr. Roper has studied poxvirus virulence genes, genomics, and vaccines, including oncolytic viruses, and her publications have been cited over 7,000 times. She has been funded by NIH, the NSF, and Foundations.

Dr. Roper is a member of the National Academy of Inventors, and Co-Chair of the Global Virus Network Monkeypox Task Force. She serves on the American Society for Microbiology Inclusive Diversity with Equity, Access, and Accountability (IDEAA) Committee of the Board and is an ECU Woman of Distinction. She has served on numerous national and international grant panels and editorial boards.