Dr. Fernando Villalta is the chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Physiology and the Interim Director of the Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research at Meharry Medical College, USA. He has largely contributed to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of microbial immunity, innate immunity, inflammation, microbial vaccines, therapeutic vaccines and vaccine immunology over the years. He has generated novel vaccines for infectious diseases, and pioneer research on the structural basis for rational drug design and therapy for diseases over the years.

Dr. Fernando Villalta received numerous National Honors and Awards. He also received the Distinguished Professor Award from the School of Medicine at Meharry Medical College etc. He also received many Grants and Contracts Awards. He serves as editor and editorial board member for a large number of scientific journals, on NIH study sections, national boards and has published a large number of papers in high impact journals, including reviews and book chapters.

Dr. Fernando Villalta research includes Molecular mechanisms of innate and adaptive immunity. Molecular mechanisms of immunity to microbial infections.  Vaccine development, microbial vaccines, therapeutic vaccines, vaccine immunology. Structural biology of pathogen targets for intervention for developing novel vaccines and antimicrobials.  Signaling mechanisms induced in immune cells by pathogen virulent molecules. Genomics and functional genomics in immunity.  Systems biology of innate and acquire immunity.  Gene network analysis and elucidation of interactomes in microbial immunity.  Cellular and molecular basis of inflammation. Molecular basis of infectious diseases. Molecular mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis. Gene and drug discovery in infectious diseases and immunity.  Systems biology of microbial infections. Cell-based functional genomics of microbial infections during host response.  Microbial invasive genes and their receptor genes in immunopathogenesis. Gene targeting and gene regulation of microbial infections and immunity. Molecular mechanisms of immune evasion by pathogens.