Dirk Dittmer, Ph.D., is a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of North Carolina. His research focuses on human tumor viruses, particularly in the context of HIV infection. He currently serves as the team lead for Tumor Virology and Global Oncology at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dittmer received his Ph.D. with Arnold Levine at Princeton and completed postdoctoral studies at Stanford and the University of California San Francisco.

His research is divided into 3 themes. This includes studies in genetically engineered mouse models (GEMM) and the development of targeted therapies against viral cancers. His group participates in clinical trials of NCI's AIDS malignancy clinical trials consortium (AMC). Lastly, they are exploring the role of viral miRNAs as they are transmitted through extracellular vesicles (EV) or exosomes.

The UNC Vironomics core, which Dittmer founded, supports clinical trials in the U.S. and globally, including those for SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging viruses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led CORVASEQ, a state-wide sequencing initiative. The UNC Vironomics core deploys long-read NextGen sequencing (PacBio), single-cell and targeted RNAseq and digital and real-time qPCR arrays purpose-built for viral diseases.