Declan Schroeder

I am proud of my accomplishments as a PI, which is based on my high
impact contributions to One Health and the opportunity to make a
difference in helping our global food system become more sustainable.
My team’s overarching research objectives are to develop
molecular-based research approaches and tools, rooted in both the Life
Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, to provide a mechanistic
understanding as how to best intervene or mitigate the negative impact
that viruses may have on food animals, wild-life and associated
organisms in the modern food system. My research is focused on (1) the
role of viral diversity (quasi-species) as it relates to seaweed
production, bee pollination services, and swine or cattle production;
and (2) establishing best detection and surveillance practices for
viral pathogens responsible for significant losses to important
wild-life, pollinator and agricultural species. Moreover, I have a
track record in winning and administered research projects (over $8
million equivalent from 10 different funders in the UK prior to 2018
and over $12 million equivalent from 8 different funders in Minnesota
post 2018), collaborated with other researchers (nationally and
internationally), and produced several high impact peer-reviewed
publications (4 Nature & Science papers). To date, I have published
over 128 peer-reviewed publications and 14 book chapters. I am
currently ranked in the top 1% of Loop Frontier authors, and in the
top 12% of scientists (out of 4,922) in my university based on my
publication record (AD Scientific Index 2025).

As it pertains to honey bees, we are driven to conduct meaningful,
high impact research that contributes toward solving complex problems
associated with viruses in U.S. and global agriculture. Honey bees are
essential pollinators and food producers in the US and globally but
more than 40% of them die on an annual basis. In 2025, this number
increased to an alarming 60%. My research team was the first to
confirm that Deformed wing virus (DWV) load, and its association with
Varroa destructor (Varroa), are responsible for the death of millions
of honey bee colonies worldwide. We are currently testing antiviral
products capable of neutralizing and controlling the spread of DWV,
evaluating whether bee hygienic behaviour can limit virus spread in a
colony, and determining whether other pollinator bees are at risk from
virus spillover.