A profile photo of Mark Tompkins, a researcher at the University of Georgia. He is pictured in a white lab coat with the University logo.

Mark Tompkins

UGA Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Virology and Immunology

Mark Tompkins’ research in infectious diseases and immunology is about more than getting people through flu season. His research connects people all over the world to deliver solutions for navigating public health during endemic diseases and addressing immediate threats against global agriculture, food supply, and trade.

Dr. Tompkins is also the new director of the Center for Vaccines and Immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Research, which was established in 2021 from a $92 million NIH contract. Dr. Tompkins leads an expert research team in developing new tools to detect, prevent, and treat infection from influenza and other emerging viruses.

In 2024, Dr. Tompkins joined with federal agencies—including NIH, USDA, CDC, and the FDA—to support the response to H5N1 infections in U.S. dairy cattle. His center is assessing the risk of the virus, aiding in virus testing, and helping coordinate risk assessment activities with other flu centers.

“Leveraging the clinical expertise and resources from the College of Veterinary Medicine with our team’s immunology research allows us to develop and assess nextgeneration vaccines and therapies. Long term, these studies have the power to advance public health on a global scale.”