Eric Skaar, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Eric P. Skaar serves as the CBIDTP’s Director. 

Dr. Skaar received his Ph.D. and M.P.H. degrees from Northwestern University in the laboratory of Professor Hank Seifert. Following completion of graduate studies, he trained with Professor Olaf Schneewind as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago. He was recruited to Vanderbilt University SOM in 2005 as an Assistant Professor and promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2009. He is the recipient of numerous external awards, including selection as a Searle Scholar (2006), a Burroughs Wellcome Fellow in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease (2006), and the ICAAC/IDSA Young Investigator of the Year (2008). In addition, Dr. Skaar received the Pfizer ASPIRE award, the VU Chancellor’s Award for Research, and the Vanderbilt University Stanley Cohen Award for research bridging chemistry and biology.

Dr. Skaar’s research program focuses on the mechanisms by which the bacterial pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus anthracis, and Acinetobacter baumannii acquire nutrient metal during infection. He actively employs chemical biology to study these processes, using techniques such as small molecule screening, structural biology, and imaging. In this regard, Dr. Skaar has published collaborative manuscripts with many of the CBID preceptors, including Drs. Bachmann, Caprioli, Cassat, Chazin, Crowe, Joyce, Sulikowski, and Wright. Dr. Skaar has successfully mentored several pre- and post-doctoral trainees. Six students have obtained their Ph.D. degrees under his tutelage, and all of those trainees are currently pursuing postdoctoral training or hold tenure track faculty positions. Moreover, Dr. Skaar has successfully mentored five postdoctoral fellows who are now employed as Assistant Professors (NYU, Cairo University, University of Illinois, Vanderbilt University), or in biotechnology (Dow Chemicals). Five graduate students and six postdoctoral fellows are currently training in Dr. Skaar’s laboratory. Recently, Dr. Skaar was selected as the 2012 Faculty Member of the Year for the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, & Immunology at Vanderbilt SOM and the 2014 Vanderbilt Medical Center Postdoctoral Mentor of the Year, highlighting his significant mentoring experience.