Dr. Jason Whitmire has been promoted to Full Professor, effective July 1, 2021.
Dr. Whitmire earned his BA in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis in 1992, followed by his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from University of California, Los Angeles in 1998. He did a postdoctoral fellowship with Carl Ware, PhD at La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology (2000-2002). Dr. Whitmire worked as a Research Associate and later an Assistant Professor at The Scripps Research Institute before being recruited to the Department of Genetics at UNC in 2010. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2016. Dr. Whitmire’s lab studies the underlying mechanisms that stimulate immune responses to virus infections. His lab characterizes the molecular and host-genetic pathways that lead to protective antiviral T cell responses, as well as immune mechanisms that lead to pathogenic outcomes during infection and primarily work with two infection model systems in mice: lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and Hepatitis A Virus (HAV). Over the years, his research has revealed important roles for interferons, co-stimulatory molecules, B cells, and NK cells in stimulating or regulating T cell responses and immune memory. Dr. Whitmire has served as a First Year Group leader for BBSP and has been very active as a teacher in Microbiology & Immunology courses. He is engaged in multiple service activities including committees in the department, the School of Medicine and UNC. Dr. Whitmire maintains a joint appointment in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology.