Nathan Wolfe

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Nathan D. Wolfe
Nathan Wolfe 2011 Shankbone.JPG
Wolfe in 2011
Born (1970-08-24) August 24, 1970 (age 55)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Alma materStanford, Harvard
Scientific career
Fields Virology
Institutions Stanford, UCLA

Nathan Daniel Wolfe (born 24 August 1970) is an American-French [1] virologist. He was the founder (in 2007) and director of Global Viral [2] and the Lorry I. Lokey Visiting Professor in Human Biology at Stanford University.

Contents

Career

Wolfe spent over eight years conducting biomedical research in both sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. He is also the founder of Metabiota, which offers both governmental and corporate services for biological threat evaluation and management. He serves on the editorial board of EcoHealth and Scientific American and is a member of DARPA's Defense Science Research Council. His laboratory was among the first to discover and describe the Simian foamy virus. [3]

In 2008, he warned that the world was not ready for a pandemic. [4]

In 2011, his book The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age [5] was short-listed for the Winton Prize. [6]

As reported in a Wired feature in 2020, Wolfe worked with the German insurance firm Munich Re to offer major corporate leaders pandemic policies, which were not purchased; a stark reality during the ensuing COVID-19 pandemic. [7]

Awards

Wolfe has been awarded more than $40 million in funding from a diverse array of sources including the U.S. Department of Defense, Google.org, the National Institutes of Health, the Skoll Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Geographic Society. [8]

Association with Jeffrey Epstein

In January 2026, the United States Department of Justice released over 3.5 million files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein pursuant to the Epstein Transparency Act. Wolfe's name appeared 589 times in the documents. [9]

The files revealed that Wolfe had sought research funding from Epstein for a proposed study exploring possible microbial influences on sexual behavior, which Wolfe referred to in a 2013 email as "our horny virus hypothesis." [10] [11] The Stanford Daily also reported that Wolfe had invited Epstein to a 2010 dinner party, describing attendees as including "a couple of hottie interns." [11] Wolfe acknowledged Epstein in his 2011 book The Viral Storm and continued correspondence with him after Epstein's 2008 guilty plea for soliciting underage sex, including sending wedding invitations and a baby announcement. [11]

In a statement to the Stanford Daily in February 2026, Wolfe denied any wrongdoing and said the research project was never pursued and that he never received funding from Epstein. He stated that he had met Epstein "professionally" at Epstein's homes in New York and Palm Beach but said he "never visited his island or flew on his plane" and "never witnessed or participated in any misconduct or inappropriate behavior." Wolfe acknowledged "overfamiliarity and poor judgment" in his correspondence and expressed regret for his association with Epstein. [11] [10]

Personal life

Wolfe holds French citizenship since 2015. [12] Wolfe is married to the playwright Lauren Gunderson, they have been separated since October 2025. The pair have two sons. As part of his work, Wolfe has lived in Cameroon, Malaysia and Uganda. [6]

References

  1. ↑ "Epstein files reveal deeper ties to scientists than previously known". 2026-02-06. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  2. ↑ Langreth, Robert. Finding the Next Epidemic Before It Kills. Forbes. 2 November 2009.
  3. 1 2 Geographic, National (June 2020). "Grantee 2004-2005: Nathan D. Wolfe". National Geographic Emerging Explorers. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Dwyer, Paul (December 24, 2020). "World-renowned virologist warned in 2008 about future epidemics". CNN. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  5. ↑ Nathan Wolfe (2011), The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age, Henry Holt & Co.
  6. 1 2 "Nathan Wolfe". DCP3. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  7. ↑ Ratliff, Evan (July–August 2020). "We Can Protect the Economy From Pandemics. Why Didn't We?". Wired. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  8. ↑ "Nathan Daniel Wolfe". Stanford University. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  9. ↑ Tran, Diep (February 5, 2026). "Playwright Lauren Gunderson Responds to Her Name Showing Up in the Jeffrey Epstein Files". Playbill . Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Garisto, Dan (February 6, 2026). "Epstein files reveal deeper ties to scientists than previously known". Nature . doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00388-0 . Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Kucheria, Aadi (February 5, 2026). "Nathan Wolfe '92 denies wrongdoing, expresses regret after Epstein report". The Stanford Daily . Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Epstein files reveal deeper ties to scientists than previously known". 2026-02-06. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
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