RAGON - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Lab Team
- Undergraduate Student
The Balazs lab focuses on applying this understanding to developing and implementing novel technologies that engineer immunity as a means of preventing or treating infection.
In the Balazs lab, we are scientists by training and engineers at heart. We are interested in exploring all facets of the host-pathogen interaction. Our model systems include HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2, in which we examine mechanisms of immunological protection with a primary focus on the humoral immune system. We are equally interested in unraveling fundamental principles underlying the ability of pathogens like HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 to escape in response to immunological pressure. We achieve this mainly through vector-mediated gene transfer of antibody specificities, advanced humanized animal models of infection, and longitudinal deep sequencing to characterize and ultimately predict pathogen evolution.
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- Clinical Staff Member
- Clinical Research Coordinator I
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- Member of the Lab Team
- Graduate Student
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- Member of the Steering Committee
- Professor of Chemical Engineering, Physics, & Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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- Clinical Staff Member
- Clinical Research Coordinator II
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- Director
- Leader
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Co - Leader, Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness ( MassCPR )
- Director / Co - Leader
- Member of the National Academy of Medicine
- Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
Dr. Walker is a world leader in the study of immune control and evasion in HIV infection. He was the first to describe HIV-specific CD8+ T cells (with Robert Schooley and Martin Hirsch) and HIV-specific CD4+ T-cell responses, and he has defined the role and fate of these cells in acute and chronic HIV infection and transmission. He also discovered the role of immune checkpoints in dysfunctional cellular immune responses to HIV and has characterized both host and viral genetic factors involved in modulating viral control. Dr. Walker is #5 in Research.com's ranking of the world's top immunologists.
Dr. Walker is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Professor of the Practice of Medicine at MIT, and Professor of Medicine at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. He is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. He is a co-leader of the Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness (MassCPR), a group of collaborators propelled by a mission to address the challenges of COVID-19 and enhance preparedness for future pandemics.
Dr. Walker is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as an elected fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the NIH Merit Award and the Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award.
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- HR Operations Coordinator
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- Member of the Steering Committee
- Professor of Medicine, Harvard University
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- Member of the Associate
- Professor of Chemical Engineering, MIT
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- Clinical Operations Manager
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- Member of the Steering Committee
- Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biological Engineering and Science & Engineering
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- Member of the Steering Committee
- Chairman, Scripps Department of Immunology
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- Research Administrative Manager
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- Member of the Lab Team
- Undergraduate Student
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- Director of Education and Outreach
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- Member of the Associate
- Professor of Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering & Biology, MIT
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- Principal Investigator
- Core Member
The Kwon Lab studies the roles of both the gut and the female genital tract in HIV acquisition and disease progression. We are involved in several long-term patient cohort studies, including Females Rising Through Education, Support, and Health (FRESH.) We work closely with research collaborators in South Africa, such as the University of KwaZulu-Natal HIV Pathogenesis Programme and the Center for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa.
Dr. Kwon received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Harvard University and his MD and Ph.D from New York University, where he studied with Dan Littman. He then trained in internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and New York Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He completed his training in the combined fellowship program in infectious disease at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Doug is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Associate Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Scientific Co-Founder at Day Zero Diagnostics.
Dr. Azza Idris, a native of Sudan having witnessed first-hand the devastation of malaria, now leads her own lab at the Ragon in pursuit of eradicating this disease. She is also a pediatric consultant for the Divisions of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health at Mass General Hospital for Children. Dr. Idris received her BSc in Biology from MIT before earning her dual MD/PhD degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Following her residency training in pediatrics at Emory University, she dedicated 8 years to general pediatric care before pursuing subspecialty training in pediatric infectious diseases at Children's National Medical Center. Currently, Dr. Idris holds board certifications in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases.
Dr. Idris completed her post-doctoral training at the National Institutes of Health where her research focused on developing innovative human monoclonal antibodies capable of providing protection against malaria. Later appointed Head of the Malaria Unit at the Vaccine Research Center, she led efforts in the discovery, development, and evaluation of antibodies and vaccines against malaria.
At the Ragon, Dr. Idris is dedicated to cultivating a lab atmosphere that not only encourages curiosity, scientific rigor, and inclusivity but also nurtures diverse collaborations to make a lasting global health impact.
Dr. Harikesh Wong completed his PhD in Cell Biology at the University of Toronto. He then pursued his post-doctoral training with Dr. Ronald N. Germain at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Harikesh will open his lab in early 2022 as a Core Member of the Ragon Institute and an Assistant Professor in the MIT Department of Biology.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Immunologist
- Principal Investigator
The Ndhlovu lab uses lymph node and large blood donations from a cohort of individuals who initiate therapy immediately upon diagnosis of acute HIV infection to identify where the HIV reservoir resides within tissues and define immune components that mediate HIV reservoir suppression. This work is critical to efforts to develop a cure for HIV.
Using serial excisional lymph node and leukapheresis samples obtained from individuals initiating ART during hyperacute HIV infection, the Ndhlovu lab defines the interplay between early virological and cellular immune responses and the impact of these interactions on viral control, reservoir establishment, cellular distribution, and decay dynamics. By determining the impact that very early ART has on these parameters, we seek to provide guidance for future vaccine and immunotherapeutic strategies not just for early treated individuals but for persons requiring long-term ART.
Dr. Zaza Ndhlovu is a viral Immunologist. He received his PhD in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland, and did his post-doctoral training at Harvard University. He is an Assistant Professor at the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard, Faculty member at Africa health Research Institute, and adjunct Associate Professor at the University of KwaZulu Natal. He is also a visiting scientist at the center for Infectious Diseases in Zambia and an HHMI international research scholar.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Associate
- Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Associate Physician, Brigham and Women 's Hospital
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- Regulatory Compliance Program Director
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- Associate Director
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Scientific Director
- First Associate Director and Scientific Director of the Ragon Institute of Mass General
- Phillip and Susan Ragon Professor, MIT Biology
Dr. Batista is the first Associate Director and Scientific Director of the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard, as well as the first Phillip T. and Susan M. Ragon Professor at MIT Biology.
Most vaccines work by driving B cells to produce high-affinity antibodies; over the course of his career, Prof. Batista has expanded our understanding of the fundamental biology of these key immune cells. B cell activation begins when an antigen binds to the B cell receptor (BCR). As an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellow with Michael Neuberger at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge, UK, Dr. Batista elucidated the relationship between B cell responses and antigen affinity (Batista & Neuberger, Immunity, 1998) and identified how membrane-bound antigens are collected at BCRs for extraction and presentation to T cells (Batista & Neuberger, EMBO J, 2000; Batista et al., Nature, 2001). This body of work still influences ongoing research into the production of high-affinity antibody responses.
Dr. Batista established his own research group in 2002 as a Member of the Francis Crick Institute (formerly the London Research Institute), simultaneously holding a Professorship at Imperial College London; he earned tenure in 2006. In an immensely productive fifteen-year span, he performed seminal experiments on the mechanisms of BCR-antigen interactions (e.g., Fleire et al., Science, 2006; Depoil et al., Nature Immun, 2008; Weber et al. 2008). He also moved into more in vivo studies, which allowed him to: identify how pathogen-engulfing macrophages are critical to ferrying antigen to B cells in the lymph nodes (Carrasco & Batista, Immunity, 2007), how the depletion of these macrophages after an initial infection can dampen the response to secondary infections (Gaya et al., Science, 2015), and how these macrophages are deeply entwined with T cells in the context of innate immunity (Barral et al., Nature Immun, 2010). His contributions in this period were recognized through the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Young Investigator and Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Awards-and through election to Membership in both EMBO and the UK Academy of Medical Science.
In 2016, he joined the Ragon Institute to start a new research program applying his expertise in B cells and antibody responses to vaccine development. Part of his work at the Institute has involved the genetic engineering of mice with humanized BCRs. These animal models can be used for the rapid preclinical testing of vaccine candidates. Previously, the generation of such specialized mouse lines was an arduous procedure that could take several years; Batista's lab has made major technical innovations using CRISPR/Cas9 to drastically simplify the process and cut the timeline to a few weeks (Lin et al., EMBO J, 2018; Wang et al., EMBO J, 2021). The lab's mouse lines have generated new insights into vaccination strategies for currently intractable pathogens, such as malaria, influenza, and HIV (e.g., Steichen et al., Science, 2019). Dr. Batista's new emphasis on vaccine research has not slowed his basic biological research: he recently described, for the first time, the role of natural killer T cells in initiating the production of high-affinity antibodies after viral infection (Gaya et al., Cell, 2017). After his move to the US, the American Academy of Microbiology elected him to Fellowship.
In addition to his own contributions from the lab, Dr. Batista is dedicated to improving the dissemination of immunological research as a whole: He is the current Chief Editor of The EMBO Journal, and his prior editorial board experience extends across the prominent journals in the field, including seven years at Science. Beyond scholarly audiences, he has worked to bring immunology to the wider community. Dr. Batista's publicly available MIT course on COVID-19, for example, brought together global experts to combat misinformation on the pandemic; viewership has topped 300,000 and is still rising.
Dr. Batista received his PhD from the International School of Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives
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- HR Onboarding Operations Coordinator
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- Member of the Associate
- Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, MIT
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- Assistant
- Development Coordinator for Strategic Initiatives
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- Member of the Associate
- MMSc, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
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- Member of the Lab Team
- Graduate Student
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- Member of the Associate
- Research Faculty, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Boston Children 's Hospital
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- Member of the Lab Team
- Program Manager
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- Clinical Staff Member
- Clinical Research Coordinator I
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- Member of the Lab Team
- Research Technologist
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- Member of the Associate
- Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
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- Innovation and Business Development Manager
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- Internal Communications Specialist
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- Member of the Lab Team
- Research Technician II
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- Executive Director
- Executive Director of the Ragon Institute of Mass General
Kristen Massimine, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard. In her role, she helps lead the day-to-day administration and operations of the Ragon Institute, including business development, education and outreach, facilities management, grants administration, human resources, information technology, internal communications, and regulatory compliance. Massimine, a mission-driven healthcare executive, also supports the Ragon's strategic planning efforts, serves as an executive sponsor for the Ragon Culture Committee, and guides the organization's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. She comes to the Ragon with more than 15 years of progressive experience spanning strategic planning, business development, process improvement, and alliance management.
Prior to joining the Ragon, Massimine was most recently Senior Director, Relationship Management for the Network Development and Integration department at Massachusetts General Hospital / Mass General Brigham, where she worked for nine years. In this role, she supported institutional strategic planning efforts, managed the departmental budget, and developed new standardized tools and procedures to streamline operations between MGH and other hospitals throughout New England. In addition, Massimine assisted with the merger of Wentworth Douglas Hospital into the MGB system and also served as an alliance manager between MGH and York Hospital in Maine, where she led efforts to launch over 20 clinical, advisory, and educational programs in three years.
Before that, she was the Director of Network and Marketing Strategy and Financial Planning at Boston Children's Hospital, where she supported institutional planning and strategy implementation efforts. Massimine was recruited to Boston Children's from her role at The Chartis Group, an advisory services firm that provides management consulting and applied research to leading healthcare organizations. As a consultant, she contributed to a variety of engagements including operational process improvement, physician alignment, strategic planning, and the design and implementation of a project management office. In addition to her client work, Massimine also spearheaded the development and implementation of an innovative training curriculum for new hires at Chartis.
Massimine worked in drug discovery at Yale University before becoming a consultant. Her main research focused on the development of novel strategies for the treatment of two parasitic diseases, toxoplasmosis and malaria. Her research provided the first direct evidence for the existence of a novel nutrient pathway in the parasite that inflicts toxoplasmosis. She subsequently demonstrated the importance of the pathway in the successful treatment of the parasitic infection. Massimine's research also includes the characterization of a novel anti-malarial drug, and her work has been published in several prominent peer-reviewed journals. Massimine holds a PhD in pharmacology from Yale University and a BS in biological chemistry from Bates College.
Job Titles:
- Senior Financial & Operations Analyst
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- Clinical Staff Member
- Clinical Research Coordinator I
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- Member of the Associate
- Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, MIT
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- Assistant
- Executive Staff Assistant, Executive Office
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- Member of the Lab Team
- Undergraduate Student
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- Member of the Associate
- Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
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- Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives
Marco Muñoz is the Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives, working in the Office of the Director at the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard. Muñoz is also a Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the Chancellor for Academic Advancement at MIT.
For more than 20 years Muñoz has built and created teams and initiatives to advance social and philanthropic purposes in private and public institutions, including academic and governmental organizations. At the Ragon Institute, he builds support around the world to promote the Institute's interests and works with strategic partners who share the Ragon Institute's goal of harnessing the immune system to prevent and cure human disease. He also oversees the Ragon's external communications.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Finance at the Ragon Institute of Mass General
Mark Schmeissing is the Executive Director of Finance at the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard. In his role, he helps lead the financial operations of the Ragon Institute, including budgeting, reporting, and forecasting. He is also responsible for procurement, purchasing, and supply chain operations support. The finance team ensures efficient financial management and financial controls are in place to support the Ragon Institute's research activities.
Mark brings more than nine years of progressive experience to the Ragon including strategic planning, financial management, data analysis, policy development, and legislative advocacy. Prior to joining the Ragon, Mark spent five years at the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) where he led finance and operations for the Global Infectious Disease Team. Mark supported various country teams across Africa, Asia, and Europe, as well as a global team managing a portfolio of grants over $60 million. He worked closely with leadership on strategic financial planning, budgeting and reporting at both the award and institutional levels, and supported donor relationships and management.
Prior to CHAI, he worked for the National Association for State Community Service Programs as a Senior Research and Policy Analyst in Washington, DC. In this role, he worked with US state governments to implement federal anti-poverty programs and advocated with US Senators and Representatives to provide ongoing support for these programs.
Mark holds an MBA from Boston University and a BA in business and economics from Wheaton College.
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- Member of the Associate
- Professor of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
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- Member of the Steering Committee
- Visiting Professor, Harvard University
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- Project Manager, Research
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- Member of the Associate
- Associate Professor of Biological Engineering, MIT
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- External Communications Specialist
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- Member of the Associate
- Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, UC Berkeley
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- Senior Grant Administrator
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- Member of the Associate
- FRCPCH, DPhil, FMedSci, Professor of Immunology, Oxford University
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- Senior Grants Administrator
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- Member of the Lab Team
- Undergraduate Student
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- Member of the Lab Team
- Graduate Student
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- Member of the Associate
- Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
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- Senior HR Operations Coordinator
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- Member of the Associate
- Professor of Epidemiology, Columbia University
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- Facilities and Operations Coordinator
The Pillai lab has made fundamental discoveries about immune cells called B lymphocytes. This work has led to novel treatments currently in use in patients with B cell leukemias and autoimmune diseases. This laboratory also studies how immune cells can "go rogue" in autoimmune diseases like systemic sclerosis and IgG4-related disease, in patients with genetic disorders of the immune system, and in COVID-19 and other severe viral infections and uses the knowledge gained to collaborate with colleagues on clinical trials.
The Pillai lab explores the contributions of B cells to the development and function of T follicular helper cells and cytotoxic CD4+ T cells. We study these cells and their subsets in the context of inflammatory diseases like systemic sclerosis, IgG4-related disease, atherosclerosis, and COVID-19. We also explore how chromatin changes, including DNA methylation, influence B and T cell lymphocyte development, and B cell-T cell collaboration and immune function. We are interested in the development of subsets of T follicular helper cells and how alterations in T and B cell collaboration can drive different types of memory B cell responses, alter the durability of antibody responses, and may be of causal importance in severe infections like COVID-19. We also investigate how novel single-gene mutations in humans alter regulatory T cell function and lead to a breakdown in B cell tolerance and thus cause autoimmunity.
Dr. Pillai received his medical degree at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Calcutta, working with Bimal Bachhawat. He was a postdoctoral fellow with David Baltimore at the Whitehead Institute and MIT and joined the faculty at MGH and the Harvard Medical School in 1988. Shiv is the author of "Lymphocyte Development" and the co-author with Abul Abbas and Andrew Lichtman of "Cellular and Molecular Immunology" and "Basic Immunology." He heads the Harvard Immunology PhD and Masters' programs and directs courses in immunology at Harvard College, Harvard Medical School, the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies, and the HMX platform.
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- Research Laboratory Assistant
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- Member of the Associate
- Assistant Professor of Biology, MIT
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- Member of the Associate
- Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT
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- Senior Facilities and Operations Manager
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- Member of the Steering Committee
- Professor of Immunopathology, Harvard Medical School
The Garcia-Beltran Lab focuses on discovering dominant pathways of NK-cell recognition and killing of target cells - both cancerous and virally infected - for the development of NK cell-based immune and cellular therapies.
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- Member of the Associate
- Professor of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research
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- Member of the Lab Team
- Research Technician I
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- Member of the Associate
- Associate Professor of Biology, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT