[4] He was raised in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey and later attended Cornell University, majoring in animal sciences with the intention of becoming a veterinarian.
He switched his academic focus after a summer internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering and in 2000 received a PhD from University of Rochester[4] in neuroscience.
[1] After completing his PhD, Brooks remained at the University of Rochester, later becoming director of Medical Center Core Facilities.
[6] In 2009, Brooks began working at the Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository (RUCDR), a university-company for data management and research analysis.
[13] He used the capabilities built up to perform genetic tests through saliva and adapted the same techniques to extract the necessary RNA from the virus.