Dr. Rick A. Bright is the Scientific Director of the Influenza Vaccine Project and Director of the Vaccine Capacity Building in Vietnam Project at PATH, part of the Vaccine Development Global Program. Dr. Bright received his PhD in immunology and virology from Emory University. He spent the next nine years working with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) Influenza Division where he focused on studies of avian and human influenza viruses from multiple perspectives, including immunology and vaccine development, viral pathogenesis, and molecular correlates of pathogenicity, as well as antiviral drugs and the development novel assays for high throughput surveillance of influenza virus resistance to antiviral drugs. Dr. Bright was the Vice President (VP) of R&D and VP of Global Influenza Programs at Novavax, Inc, where he was responsible for overseeing development of two novel influenza vaccine candidates from discovery stage into clinical evaluation.

In his current roles at PATH, Dr. Bright provides technical leadership and guidance to PATH and partners to accelerate the development of innovative vaccine candidates against influenza. He also serves as an ad hoc advisor to the World Health Organization, serving on the H1N1 Vaccine Task Force and on the international advisory committee for development and transfer of influenza vaccine technologies to developing countries and he is a board member of the International Society of Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses (ISIRV).