Dr. Balasuriya was former Associate Dean for Diagnostic Operations, Director, and Professor of Virology at the Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (LADDL), School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. Initially, he was trained as a veterinarian at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, in Sri Lanka (1981-1985). In 1989, he came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar to complete his graduate studies at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis. Dr. Balasuriya’s professional and research experience is very diverse and encompasses infectious diseases of animals and humans, veterinary diagnostic medicine (anatomic pathology and diagnostic virology), and molecular virology. Before becoming the Director of the LADDL he was a Tenured Professor and held the Jes & Clementine Schlaikjer Professorship in Equine Infectious Diseases in the Department of Veterinary Science, Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. The primary focus of his research has been to characterize the molecular epidemiology and pathogenesis of equine arteritis virus (EAV) and equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infections of horses and develop improved recombinant vaccines to prevent infection of horses with these viruses, as well as to develop improved tests to diagnose equine viral infections. He has experience working with many other viruses, both veterinary (EHVs, equine rotaviruses, equine rhinitis viruses, equine coronavirus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, and bluetongue virus) and human (dengue virus, Zika virus, and SARS-CoV-2 [COVID-19]). His laboratory has developed and validated several serological and molecular diagnostics assays for many equine and human diseases. His current research is focused on host-virus interactions, molecular virology, and the development of improved diagnostic and prophylactic reagents for important veterinary and human viral pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2.