About Us

Norbert K. Herzog, Ph.D.

Norbert K. Herzog, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Pathology, and Microbiology and Immunolgy. He is also a member of the Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases and the WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases and is Assistant Dean for Recruitment in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas. He is the recipient of The Leon Bromberg Distinguished Professor for Excellence in Teaching of the UTMB Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and has been named the Paul Brindley Distinguished Scholar. He was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, immigrated to the US and was largely educated in California. He holds a B.S. in Bacteriology from UCLA (1976), an MS in Biology from California State University, Northridge (1979) and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from The University of Texas at Austin (1985). His doctorate was supervised by Henry R. Bose, Jr. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Scripps Institute and Research Foundation in La Jolla, CA and at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center under the supervision of Ralph Arlinghaus. In 1989, he joined the UTMB faculty. He directs a research group with interests in cellular signal transduction associated with the pathogenesis of infectious agents, virology, biodefense and in drug design. His personal interests include photography, music and travel.

David W. Niesel, Ph.D.

David W. Niesel, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He also holds appointments in the Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Sealy Center for Structural Biology, Sealy Center for Vaccine Development and the WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases. He is also the Chair of Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. Niesel has also served as the Vice Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) since 1996. He holds the JP Saunders Professorship in the GSBS. He is originally from New England and was educated in western Massachusetts. He received his BA in Biological Sciences from Quinnipiac University which is located just outside suburban New Haven, CT. Dr. Niesel received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from North Carolina State University in 1980. He completed postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Environmental Health Science in research Triangle Park, NC and at the University of Texas in Austin. He joined the Department of Microbiology and immunology at UTMB in 1983. His research interests are focused on the regulation of bacteria gene expression during infection in the host, mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis, biodefense and the adaptation of bacterial to the space environment. He is passionate about promoting public understanding of science, enhancing diversity in biomedical workforce and training the next generation of biomedical scientists. His personal interests include his family, reading, and travel.