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Ralph Baric—the renowned public-health researcher whose work on coronaviruses helped make COVID-19 vaccines possible, but brought scrutiny in the process—will retire from UNC-Chapel Hill in June.
Nancy Messonnier, dean of the Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Maria Gallo, chair of the school’s epidemiology department, made the announcement by email to faculty and staff in the department on Tuesday.
“Dr. Baric has been responsible for creating pioneering life-saving treatments, important diagnostic advancements and vaccines that are used around the world,” they wrote. They praised Baric’s role in developing vaccines for COVID, norovirus, and dengue fever, the mosquito-borne disease that is widespread in some parts of the world, and noted that he has led or coauthored more than 600 peer-reviewed manuscripts in his decades-long career.
“Most importantly, Dr. Baric’s legacy also includes teaching, inspiring and mentoring dozens of students and postdocs over the decades, many of whom have gone on to their own positions of prominence in industry, government and academia,” the message continued.
Baric joined the UNC-CH faculty in 1986 after earning his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from N.C. State University. He is considered a foremost expert on coronaviruses, and his lab was one of the first in the U.S. to receive a sample of the COVID-19 virus to conduct tests. That work led to the first Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments of the virus and contributed to the development of the Moderna vaccine.
Baric was lauded for his efforts around the world and in North Carolina, winning some of the highest honors bestowed by the state. But his lab also became the center of questions and theories about the origin of the virus, in part because of his work with a researcher at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, near where the COVID-19 outbreak began.
When a congressional committee deposed Baric in 2024, Sen. Rand Paul accused the scientist of collaborating with the Wuhan institute to create “superviruses.” Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in his first term, claimed “there is a real possibility that the virus’s birthplace was Chapel Hill.” UNC-CH has said little publicly about the scrutiny of Baric’s work.
Baric said in his congressional testimony that he did not believe, based on the evidence available, that COVID originated in a lab. But he has acknowledged that it is possible and has urged a full investigation of the origins of the virus. He is also known for practicing rigorous safety measures in his lab and has called for global standards to do the same.
Still, state and federal leaders have cited him in attempts to understand and rein in a type of research known as gain-of-function. Last year, state House Speaker Destin Hall sought records about Baric and his research from UNC-CH for a powerful legislative committee to inspect; The News & Observer reported in January that the university had turned them over.
Last month, Real Clear Investigations reported that UNC-CH had placed Baric on leave. Science magazine reported Tuesday evening that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was launching proceedings that could bar Baric from receiving future funds for his research. He told Science he plans to fight the accusations, likely with help from UNC-CH.
Messonnier and Gallo’s message did not cite a reason for Baric’s retirement.
Matt Hartman contributed reporting.