Roger M. Burnett, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus
burnett@wistar.org

Immunology professor Roger M. Burnett, Ph.D., retired in 2006 after a distinguished career as a structural biologist studying viruses. He has been appointed professor emeritus.

Burnett arrived at The Wistar Institute as a professor in 1988. He was also appointed Wistar Professor of Chemistry and Wistar Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include the molecular structure of viruses, their architecture, and their evolutionary relationships. His work – particularly on adenoviruses, an important vector for human gene therapy – has earned him national and international recognition. Especially significant, too, is his discovery that adenovirus is similar to a virus infecting bacteria and his work outlining the evolutionary connections among otherwise disparate families of viruses.

Beyond his accomplishments as a researcher, Burnett is known for his passion for science and for Wistar, as well as his tireless support as a mentor and teacher to students and junior colleagues. His open and collaborative approach is credited with helping to shape the collegial atmosphere of the Institute.  Prior to coming to Wistar, Burnett held appointments as an associate professor at Columbia University and assistant professor at the University of Basel in Switzerland. Born in London, he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of London and his doctorate from Purdue University. He served as an associate research biophysicist at the University of Michigan and as a full assistant at the University of Basel.