Prof. Dr. Deepak Shukla is a Marion Schenk Esq. Professor of Ophthalmology and a Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Microbiology and Immunology, and Bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He is also the Associate Head of the Department and Vice-Chairman for Research in Ophthalmology. He received his Ph.D. in the laboratory of Professor Phil Matsumura (Editor-in-Chief (retd.), Journal of Bacteriology) and postdoctoral training at Northwestern University with Prof. Patricia Spear (member of the National Academy of Sciences, USA). He has co-authored over 100 scientific articles describing the host mechanisms that drive viral pathogenesis, especially in the context of infection of the eye. He is an expert in herpesvirus–host interactions and the development of novel, cutting-edge therapies to control infection.