Steven R. Kleeberger, PhD

Steven Kleeberger received his AB degree in zoology from Miami University, his MA in ecology from Northern Michigan University, and his PhD in ecology from Kent State University in 1982. He did his postdoctoral research at The Johns Hopkins University, where he became a full professor in 2000. He was recruited to the NIEHS as chief of the Laboratory of Respiratory Biology in 2001. He also directs the Environmental Genetics research group at NIEHS, and is the principal investigator for the Director’s Challenge Program “Mechanisms of Susceptibility to Oxidative Stress–Induced Disease.”

Dr. Kleeberger has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding susceptible subpopulations and airborne pollutants. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and two dozen book chapters. He is a reviewer for more than 20 journals, and he has held a number of editorial positions. He has given more than 80 invited lectures in the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. He has also served or currently serves on multiple study sections (NIH, VA) and international advisory committees on genetic susceptibility.

The overall goal of his research program has been to identify genes that determine susceptibility to environmental lung disease. This work has led to the identification of significant susceptibility quantitative trait loci, and functional characterization of candidate genes for susceptibility to lung injury induced by environmental pollutants. His laboratory is also focused on gene–environment interaction and the pathogenesis of disease in human populations, including coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, respiratory syncytial virus infection and chronic lung disease in infants, and acute respiratory distress syndrome in acute lung injury patients. Dr. Kleeberger’s research has been funded for the last four years by the Intramural Research Program at the NIEHS.