Michelson Prizes laureates are distinguished scientists that have been recognized for their research and work to chart the future of human health.
Michael Birnbaum, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants | 2020 Winner
Dr. Michael Birnbaum studies “elite controllers”—those rare individuals with HIV who can go for long periods without antiretroviral therapy—to identify optimal vaccine targets for stopping the virus.
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Engineering, MIT
Danika Hill, Ph.D.
Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants | 2020 Winner
Dr. Danika Hill is using strep A bacteria to identify the specific antigens that trigger the immunity protections of our bodily fluids.
Research Fellow, Department of Immunology and Pathology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Avinash Das Sahu, Ph.D.
Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants | 2019 Winner
Dr. Sahu is building novel artificial intelligence, deep-learning frameworks to devise new therapeutic strategies for cancer immunotherapy, with potential applications to human immunology.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Sahu Laboratory , The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Kamal Mandal, Ph.D.
Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants | 2019 Winner
Dr. Mandal is developing new technologies that identify the shape of proteins that could provide new targets for cancer immunotherapy, with potential applications to other diseases.
Postdoctoral Scholar, Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
Murad Mamedov, Ph.D.
Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants | 2019 Winner
Dr. Mamedov is using gene-editing technologies to create a new platform for understanding an important set of immune cells that may provide the keys to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of infectious and noncommunicable diseases such as cancer.
Postdoctoral Scholar, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
Patricia Therese Illing, Ph.D.
Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants | 2018 Winner
Dr. Patricia Illing’s work involves a new approach for identifying influenza-specific peptide antigens with implications for the development of vaccines against both seasonal and pandemic influenza strains.
Research Fellow, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
