Dylan George, PhD, is the director of
operations for the Center for Forecasting and
Outbreak Analytics (CFA) at the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. CFA is
building world class data and analytics
capabilities to guide interventions in public
health emergencies and pandemics.
Before joining CDC, Dr. George was a vice
president at Ginkgo Bioworks, where he
helped develop improved real-time infectious
disease monitoring capabilities and analytics
for pandemic response. Before Ginkgo, Dr.
George was a vice president at In-Q-Tel (IQT),
where he vetted life science, healthcare deals,
and developed science and technical strategy
to strengthen capacity within the United
States to counter biological threats from
infectious disease.
Recently, Dr. George served on the BidenHarris transition team working on national security policy for the COVID-19 response,
and on the agency review team for the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr.
George served Dr. John Holdren, assistant to the president for science and technology
and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), as
senior policy advisor for biological threat defense. Among other responsibilities at OSTP,
Dr. George provided technical expertise and interagency coordination supporting the
response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. During 2013–2014, Dr. George worked in
the Department of Health and Human Services within the Biomedical Advanced
Research and Development Authority, where he led a team that developed analytical
approaches to assess risks from emerging infectious diseases and other mass casualty
events. During 2009–2013, Dr. George worked within the Department of Defense on
anticipating and assessing infectious disease risks that would affect mission readiness
and force health protection. Dr. George worked at the National Science Foundation
within the divisions of Biological Infrastructure and Environmental Biology. While at the
National Science Foundation, Dr. George also supported the National Ecological
Observatory Network and the Ecology of Infectious Diseases program.
Dr. George received his PhD from Colorado State University and focused on quantitative
analytical approaches for considering how clinically severe pathogens (e.g., Yersinia
pestis, rabies) persist within wildlife populations