David Roberts

Mr. Roberts serves as Research Director for Special Programs at the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska, a University Affiliated Research Center designated by the U.S. Department of War and sponsored by U.S. Strategic Command.

In this role, Roberts is responsible for providing leadership and support for research across the broad array of elements related to chemical and biological defense. He supports the Intelligence Community by delivering innovative, mission-focused solutions and contributing to a wide range of intelligence reports and strategic initiatives.

Prior to his appointment at NSRI, Mr. Roberts held key roles across both clinical and research and development sectors with MRIGlobal and Laboratory Corporation of America. He has over 31 years of experience as a Scientist, Principal Investigator, and Program Manager, including more than a decade designing and deploying mobile and fixed-site laboratories in support of OCONUS mission requirements.

At MRIGlobal, Mr. Roberts served as BSL-3 Laboratory Manager, Diagnostic Section Manager, Program Manager, and Principal Investigator for the Diagnostic Division. In these roles, he led complex laboratory operations and research initiatives, generating over $3 million in annual commercial revenue. He also contributed to more than 15 funded clinical trials supporting FDA 510(k) clearances and CE mark submissions, demonstrating extensive experience in regulatory-driven product development and validation.

Mr. Roberts played a key role in the 2014–18 Ebola response, supporting operations in Moyamba and Lakka, Sierra Leone; Conakry, Guinea; and Monrovia, Liberia. He served as Alpha and Team 1 Lead for a Defense Threat Reduction Agency-funded Ebola diagnostic mobile laboratory. In this capacity, he co-led the design and optimization of laboratory layouts and diagnostic workflows to strengthen regional testing capabilities across West Africa. His efforts significantly increased daily sample throughput and reduced turnaround times for results from over 24 hours to less than 4 hours, enabling more rapid clinical and public health decision-making during the outbreak.

In 2015, Mr. Roberts served as a Visiting Scientist in Monrovia, Liberia, where he was the Ebola diagnostics technical lead and Laboratory Manager for the Liberia Institute of Biomedical Research. In this role, he provided confirmatory diagnostic testing for suspected Ebola cases, including U.S. expatriates and local nationals, ensuring timely and accurate results in a high-consequence environment. He also served as a technical mentor and trainer for local laboratory personnel, delivering instruction on reagent preparation, PCR theory, data analysis, and quality management systems. His efforts strengthened in-country diagnostic capabilities and supported sustainable laboratory operations during the outbreak response.

Mr. Roberts graduated with a B.S. degree in Microbiology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Recent Abstracts

"Rapidly Dissolvable Filters For Biological Aerosol Collection With High Collection Efficiency, 100% Extraction Efficiency, And Maintenance Of Viability For Down-stream Analysis And Inclusion Into Automatic Microfluidic Identification" | December 2022 | Chemical and Biological Defense Science & Technology Conference

"Towards Early Warning Via Advanced Biological Sampling Efforts (project Atreyu), An Automatic Biological Collection And Pcr-identification System For Remote Sensing" | December 2022 | Chemical and Biological Defense Science & Technology Conference

Featured Publications

The following publications were published prior to Roberts' employment with NSRI, but demonstrate the capabilities he brings forward.

• Clinical features of suspected Ebola cases referred to the Moyamba ETC, Sierra Leone: Challenges in the later stages of the 2014 outbreak
• Clinical Features of and Risk Factors for Fatal Ebola Virus Disease, Moyamba District, Sierra Leone, December 2014–February 2015