He completed his Bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, IA, received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the Johns Hopkins University and did postdoctoral training in molecular virology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Prior to being recruited to FGCU, he was an Assistant Professor of Tropical Medicine at Tulane University. His current research interests include the development of entry inhibitors against viral pathogens including HIV, dengue, West Nile, and influenza.