Dr. Melissa Berquist
Texas A&M AgriLife Research

Dr. Berquist is the director of the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases (IIAD), overseeing executive operations. She served as the institute’s associate director for six years. She joined IIAD following almost three years at BAI, Inc., a professional services company in Alexandria, Virginia, first as a senior biosurety analyst and then as a senior analyst and program coordinator. Prior to her tenure at IIAD, Dr. Berquist worked with biodefense research sponsored by

the Science and Technology Directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where she served in a contract support role for the DHS Office of University Programs, specifically managing IIAD and related DHS Science and Technology Centers of Excellence. Dr. Berquist has extensive experience in supporting the design, development, and implementation of public and animal health programs, including scientific program management, intellectual property protection, legal affairs, regulatory compliance, and policy development.

A graduate of Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering, she earned her doctorate in molecular medicine/molecular and cellular biology from the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine