Rita V.M. Rio, Ph.D.
5106 Life Sciences Building
Rita V.M. Rio is a Professor of Biology at West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, with an affiliated appointment in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology at the WVU School of Medicine. She joined the Biology faculty in 2007 and was instrumental in establishing the department’s Genomics Area of Emphasis. Her research focuses on the evolution of host-associated microbiota and their roles in health and ecology, earning national funding. The Rio lab specializes in discovering novel molecules and methods for biocontrol of vector-borne diseases, particularly those involving endogenous microbiota.
From 2020-2024, Rio was the co-Director of the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE). She has served on the editorial review board of the journals; Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Frontiers of Microbiology, and Scientific Reports and has been an ad hoc reviewer for approximately 40 journals. Dr. Rio has been a member of numerous advisory panels for the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and several international science agencies.
Dr. Rio holds a BS in Biology (cum laude, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) from UCONN, a MS in Entomology from Penn State (mentored by Dr. E. AlanCameron) and a PhD from Yale University in the Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases (mentored by Dr. Serap Aksoy). She completed her postdoctoral training in Molecular and Cell Biology at UCONN under the mentorship of Dr. Joerg Graf. She has received numerous academic accolades, including the Yale School of Public Health PhD Alumna Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching, and Service (2020), the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Researcher Award (2016), and the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oakridge Associated Universities (2008).
In August 2024, Rio was named Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in WVU’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. In this role, she aims to foster transdisciplinary research across the college to develop innovative solutions to complex local and global challenges, while enriching education and empowering communities — fulfilling WVU’s land-grant mission.