Ralph Baric

Ralph Baric, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. In addition, he is a World Technology Award Finalist and a fellow of the American Association for Microbiology. He has spent the past three decades as a world leader in the study of coronaviruses and is responsible for UNC-Chapel Hill’s world leadership in coronavirus research. 

The Baric Lab uses coronaviruses as models to study the genetics of RNA virus transcription, replication, persistence, pathogenesis, genetics, and cross-species transmission. He has used alphavirus vaccine vectors to develop novel candidate vaccines.  

In 2017, 2018, and 2019, Baric was named to Clarivate Analytics’ Highly Cited Researchers list, which recognizes researchers who have published the most widely-cited papers in their field. In 2017, he was awarded a grant from the NIAID to accelerate the development of a new drug in the fight against coronaviruses, which is currently in clinical trials to reverse COVID-19 disease in humans. In this collaboration, he continued his partnership between the Gillings School and Gilead Sciences to focus on an experimental antiviral treatment that he had previously shown to prevent the development of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in mice. The drug was also shown to inhibit MERS-CoV and multiple other coronaviruses (CoV), suggesting that it may actually inhibit all CoV. He continues to work with this drug.