Dr. Loisel is an experimental molecular biologist with training and expertise in immunology, gene and protein expression, virology, and genetics and genomics. He has published research on a variety of topics, including the sex-specific genetic architecture of human disease, genetic and viral contributors to childhood asthma risk, gene expression patterns associated with pre-eclampsia, viral detection and surveillance in wildlife, and evolution of primate immune genetic diversity.

Currently, at Saint Michael’s College, Dr. Loisel is co-director of the Stress and Immunology Laboratory that examines the effects of VR-delivered guided meditation on behavioral, autonomic, neuroendocrine, and immune responses in human participants, such as student-first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic, NCAA Division II college athletes, and full-time college students.

In addition, Dr. Loisel collaborates with scientists at NASA Johnson Space Center to integrate VR meditation into a stress-relieving countermeasures protocol that aims to prevent immune dysfunction and improve crew health and performance during future long-duration spaceflight missions.

Dr. Loisel’s research has been funded by the NASA Human Research Program, the National Science Foundation, the Vermont Space Grant Consortium, and the Vermont Biomedical Research Network. He received his Ph.D. in evolutionary genetics from Duke University and completed a NIH post-doctoral fellowship in human genetics at the University of Chicago.