Wesley Shoop

Wesley received a Ph.D. in tropical medicine and parasitology at LSU where he studied and published nearly a dozen scientific studies on the epidemiology of Alaria marcianae. He became a professor at Murray State University where he continued that work. He then moved to Merck & Co., Inc. to work with the Nobel Prize-winning biologist William Campbell. Those two worked together for nearly 20 years on ivermectin. They also discovered eprinomectin together. When Dr. Campbell retired, Wes took over the department. In that 20-year time, he published over 100 scientific papers. Wes was offered a chance to build an animal health division at DuPont. There, he became vice president and global head of animal health. It was there that he discovered the drug afoxolaner which is the active ingredient of NexGard. He moved to Mississippi in 2018 where his love for biology continued and culminated in Mississippi's Natural Heritage of Mississippi, Photographs of Flora and Fauna.