Brandon Beddingfield
Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Education & Affiliations
Biography
Dr. Brandon J. Beddingfield is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Microbiology at the Tulane University Center for Applied Immunology and Transmission Science (TUCAiTS) and the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center. His research focuses on emerging infectious diseases, viral immunology, aerosol transmission, and the development of nonhuman primate models for evaluating vaccines, therapeutics, and prophylactic interventions against high-consequence viral pathogens.
Dr. Beddingfield earned his PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Tulane University School of Medicine, where his dissertation research focused on the design and evaluation of a non-structural protein 1 (NS1)-based diagnostic for Zika virus infection. He also holds both a BS and MS in Biology from University of Texas at Tyler.
Prior to joining the faculty, Dr. Beddingfield completed postdoctoral training at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center under the mentorship of Dr. Chad J. Roy, where he helped develop rhesus macaque and African green monkey models of SARS-CoV-2 infection. His work has contributed significantly to the evaluation of vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and antiviral therapies for COVID-19 and other viral pathogens.
Dr. Beddingfield has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals, with research spanning SARS-CoV-2, Zika virus, chikungunya virus, eastern equine encephalitis virus, poliovirus, and other emerging pathogens. His current research interests include viral pathogenesis, host immune responses, aerosolized infectious disease transmission, and translational approaches to vaccine and therapeutic development.
In addition to his research program, Dr. Beddingfield is actively involved in graduate mentorship, scientific peer review, and professional service within the fields of virology and microbiology. He serves as a Review Editor for Frontiers in Cell and Infection Microbiology and is a member of both the American Society for Virology and the American Society for Microbiology.
Research
The goal of my research centers around antibody-mediated protection against viral infections, predominantly those of respiratory origin. I utilize animal models of human viral infections to achieve this goal. My work spans a numbers of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, Zika, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus. Some of my work involves vaccination strategies to induce robust, specific, immune responses to provide long-term protection against viral disease and airborne transmission. Other work involves eliciting cross-reactive antibody responses that may provide protection against multiple, related, viruses.
