Ricardo Maggi, PhD is a Research Professor of Medical Microbiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University, where he directs research at the Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory. His research focuses on the development of novel serological, microbiological and molecular diagnostic tests, the identification of prophylactic agents (vaccines), the characterization of mechanisms for microbial pathogenicity, and the identification of biomarkers for early detection of bacterial-induced cancers. Ricardo Maggi, PhD joined North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005 where he has led the design, development, and validation of in-vitro clinical diagnostic tests for the detection and characterization of emerging and re-emerging vector-borne pathogens in humans and animals.