Curtis Suttle

Curtis Suttle’s research focuses on viruses and their diversity, evolution, and function in the global system, with an emphasis on the oceans. As a frequently invited speaker at Universities and International symposia, as well as a commentator in print, video and television, he makes a persuasive case that viruses encompass much of the genetic diversity on Earth and are major drivers of global biogeochemical cycles. His work has helped shift the paradigm from viruses being enemies and agents of death, to the perspective that viruses are essential to life on Earth. His scholarship has been recognized by being appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, American Academy of Microbiology and the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, as well as a Senior Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and a Distinguished University Scholar; he is a recipient of the A.G. Huntsman, Timothy R. Parsons and G. Evelyn Hutchinson Medals in Marine Science.