Dr. Michael Gale, Jr. elected AAAS Fellow for contributions to fields of virology and immunology
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (3/26/2026) — Michael Gale, Jr, PhD, head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and director of the Institute on Infectious Diseases at the University of Minnesota Medical School, has been elected as a 2025 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the most distinct honors in the scientific community.
Each year, the AAAS Council elects members to recognize their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Dr. Gale is being honored for his distinguished contributions to the fields of virology and immunology, specifically in innate immunity and understanding how the body recognizes viral pathogens and mediates an innate immune response that is the first line of antiviral defense and serves to activate and program the systemic immune response.
“I am very honored to be selected as an AAAS Fellow and to have my group’s research on innate immunity and virus infection to be recognized this way,” said Dr. Gale.
Dr. Gale’s laboratory is focused on understanding the processes that trigger and control innate immunity and inflammation to program the immune response against RNA virus infection, and defining the virus-host interactions that control viral replication and the outcome of infection and immunity. His work is also focused on defining the systems biology and innate immune interactions of acute and chronic microbial infection toward building interventions to fight disease and improve global health.
The Gale laboratory has active research programs focused on understanding immune control of infection by flaviviruses, including West Nile virus, Zika virus and Powassan virus. They also study HIV, hepatitis B virus and Oropouche virus. The group includes focus areas of study that include identifying emerging viruses and determining how they can be controlled by innate immune interventions, and defining the molecular mechanisms by which viruses suppress innate immunity to mediate acute and chronic infection outcomes and disease.
This latest AAAS class includes 449 scientists, engineers and innovators across 24 AAAS disciplinary Sections. For additional information about AAAS, visit www.aaas.org.
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