Stony Brook Microbiologist Receives Highest Honor as a Yale Grad School Alumnus 

Dr. Carol Carter hailed for her work on HIV and other retroviruses 

STONY BROOK, NY, October 29, 2026 – Carol Carter, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Toll Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology in the Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University, is a 2026 recipient of the Wilbur Cross Medal, the highest honor given to alumni of the Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

Carter and three other Wilbur Cross Medal recipients were honored at a Yale University ceremony and dinner on October 19. Medalists are nominated by their peers in recognition of their achievements as leaders in their respective fields, true innovators, and world-changing thinkers. According to Yale University, Wilbur Cross Medal nominees are “among the best examples of what can be accomplished with a doctoral degree after leaving Yale.”

An internationally renowned researcher on retroviruses that has spanned decades, Carter’s work in this area and other areas of microbiology has had a major global impact on the field. Her research on HIV over the past several decades helped reveal the structure of the virus, how it reproduces, and how hosts’ cells respond to the virus. Her additional work on HIV, the Epstein-Barr Virus, and more recently SARS-CoV-2 continue to reveal new pathways for anti-viral drug development.

“Receiving the Wilbur Cross Medal was a unique privilege that enabled me to relive those early years of study at Yale, where I was fortunate enough to encounter so many talented individuals, both peers and faculty, who broadened my vision of science and its potential for far-reaching impact,” said Carter.

The Wilbur Cross Medal celebrates the legacy of service and achievements of Wilbur Lucius Cross (1889 PhD in English Literature), who was Dean of the Yale Graduate School and had also served as Governor of Connecticut in the 1930s. The award was established in 1966 to honor PhD alumni Yale Graduate School for outstanding achievements.

“Being chosen for the Wilbur Cross Medal is a great honor and fitting recognition of Dr. Carter’s pioneering and impactful research,” said David Thanassi, PhD, Chair of the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. “We are proud to count Carol as one of our faculty and grateful for her many contributions to the department and university.”

Carter received her PhD in Microbiology from Yale in 1972. She has had a long career at Stony Brook as both an educator and researcher since 1975. Her accomplishments at Stony Brook and in the field of microbiology at large have resulted in Carter becoming a member of both the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Inventors, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.

Other recipients of the 2026 Wilbur Cross Medal include James Dieterich, PhD, a renowned earthquake geophysicist; Amy Richlin, PhD, a Classics scholar; and James A. Robinson, PhD, a Nobel Prize-winning economist.