Michael Birnbaum, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor | Department of Biological Engineering, MIT

Repertoire-Scale Determination of T Cell Recognition and Cross-Reactivity to HIV via pMHC Lentiviral Display

Dr. Birnbaum received the Michelson Prize for Human Immunology and Vaccine Research 2020 for “Repertoire-Scale Determination of T Cell Recognition and Cross-Reactivity to HIV via pMHC Lentiviral Display.”

Dr. Birnbaum’s research focuses on understanding and manipulating “natural” adaptive immune responses in the context of cancer and infection by using a variety of strategies and techniques including protein biochemistry, protein engineering, sequencing, and bioinformatics.

Applying a novel approach, he systematically examines the antigen recognition repertoire of any given T or NK cell receptor and uses this information to engineer new methods to more specifically mount a potent immune response.

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About Michael Birnbaum:

Dr. Birnbaum obtained an A.B. in Chemical and Physical Biology at Harvard University in 2008.

He then moved to Stanford University, where he completed his PhD in Immunology in 2014, followed by postdoctoral research. Dr. Birnbaum joined the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT in 2016 as an assistant professor.