My research is focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind immunological memory. Specifically, my lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is interested in defining the underlying epigenetic and transcriptional signals that govern T cell and natural killer (NK) cell proliferation, function, and memory cell formation during host defense against pathogens. I have a background in immunology, having trained with Dr. Mike Bevan in CD8+ T cell memory as a graduate student at the University of Washington. As a postdoc with Dr. Lewis Lanier at UCSF, we discovered that certain NK cell subsets possess adaptive immune features including clonal expansion and long-lived memory following viral infection. By gaining a better understanding of how these innate and adaptive arms of the immune system specifically attack virally-infected cells, and ‘remember' these pathogens, we will be able to develop more effective preventative and therapeutic approaches in the battle against infectious diseases.