Dr. Daniel L. Rock, professor of virology at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, has been named the 2026 Distinguished Microbiologist of the Year by the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists (ACVM). Dr. Rock has been part of the college’s Department of Pathobiology for more than 20 years. He also holds an appointment in the university’s Center for Global Studies.
His research career has focused on molecular mechanisms of viral pathogenesis, especially those of DNA viruses, and he has published more than 140 papers.
Expertise in African Swine Fever
Before joining the University of Illinois, Dr. Rock served for 15 years as research leader in exotic viral diseases at the USDA’s Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York. He is among the most experienced and knowledgeable researchers in the U.S. to have worked directly with African swine fever. This highly contagious and lethal viral disease has had devastating consequences for global swine production and food security. The virus is difficult to control because it can live for a long time on clothing, shoes, and equipment and can be spread through garbage feeding, vehicles, insects, and more.
At Plum Island, Dr. Rock published groundbreaking findings, especially regarding the virulence of and potential avenues of immunoprotection against ASF virus. His work contributed to the eventual development of the first molecularly attenuated ASF vaccine. He is also well-known for his studies related to herpesvirus latency.
Other Career Contributions
Dr. Rock has contributed internationally, collaborating with researchers in eastern European countries where ASF is present and training diagnosticians in central Asia and South America.
Dr. Rock earned his PhD from Iowa State University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania-Wistar Institute. He has held academic appointments at Iowa State, North Dakota State University, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The ACVM works to further educational and scientific progress in the specialty of veterinary microbiology. It is the certifying body for veterinary microbiologists in subspecialty areas of bacteriology and mycology, virology, immunology, and parasitology.
