Blanton S. Tolbert is the Rudolph and Susan Rense Professor of Chemistry at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). He is also a member of the Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics. Dr. Tolbert earned his BS degree in Chemistry from the University of SC in 1999 and his PhD in Biophysics and Structural Biology from the University of Rochester in 2007.  Dr. Tolbert was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of MD Baltimore County from 2007-2009, where he developed advanced NMR methods to study RNA structures that contribute to packaging of retroviral genomes. He started his independent career in 2009 as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Miami University in Ohio.  He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2015 at Case Western Reserve University, and Professor of Chemistry in 2019.

From July 2021 to October 2022, Dr. Tolbert served as the Inaugural Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Excellence at the CWRU School of Medicine and the Associate Director of DEI at Case CCC. He is the acting Chairperson of the NIH Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council. On November 1, 2022, Dr. Tolbert was appointed the inaugural Vice President of Science Leadership and Culture at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.  In this capacity, he provides visionary and strategic leadership of the Center for the Advancement of Science Leadership and Culture. 

Dr. Tolbert supervises a diverse research group that studies biochemical mechanisms by which RNA and related retroviruses replicate within the cellular environment. Specifically, his group uses structural biophysics to characterize protein-RNA complexes that regulate viral gene expression and then leverages the knowledge gained to identify novel targets for therapeutic intervention. Dr. Tolbert is the recipient of several awards and invited lectureships.