Biodefense and Infectious Diseases Research and Education

• George Mason University has made a long-term commitment to biodefense research and education. This commitment reflects the ideals of the university set forth in the Mission Statement adopted by its Board of Visitors and in the Vision Statement developed by President Alan Merten. In support of this commitment, the university established the Center for Biodefense in December 2001. In 2005, the name was changed to the National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases to more accurately reflect the mission of the center.
• The National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, located at Mason’s Prince William Campus, comprises a team of internationally recognized experts in infectious diseases, biological weapons threats, and biodefense. Through research and education, they are committed to promoting awareness of security challenges and public health threats posed by biological terrorism and biological weapons proliferation.
• Research activities, supported by funding from federal government agencies and corporate partners, focus on the development of techniques and products for detection, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases that result from biological terrorism or arise naturally.
• Graduate degree programs, offered through Mason’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, educate a new generation of researchers to better understand biological weapons threats and how to mitigate them. New concentrations and certificate programs in microbiology and infectious diseases and biocontainment laboratory operations are under design.
• In addition to the National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, other high-profile biomedical research initiatives also are located at the Prince William Campus. Strategic planning has brought together world-renowned scientists in newly designed laboratories equipped with 21st-century instrumentation who engage in collaborative research in infectious diseases, proteomics, and genomics.
• Mason is now taking this existing infrastructure to the next level with construction of its Biomedical Research Laboratory. This specialized facility will enable scientists to continue to advance the quality and scope of research activities and gain access to opportunities to compete for higher levels of federal research funding, and recruitment efforts to attract top-quality students to university academic programs will be enhanced.


• The university’s goals are compatible with those of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases regarding research on biodefense and emerging infectious diseases.
• George Mason is well-positioned in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and the mid-Atlantic region to be available to assist national, state, and local public health efforts in the event of a public health emergency.