Duke
MHRP Collaborator
Dr. Kevin O. Saunders graduated from Davidson College in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. At Davidson College, he trained in the laboratory of Dr. Karen Hales identifying the genetic basis of infertility. Dr. Saunders completed his doctoral research on CD8+ T cell immunity against HIV-1 infection with Dr. Georgia Tomaras at Duke University in 2010. He subsequently trained as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratories of Drs. Gary Nabel and John Mascola at the National Institutes of Health NIAID Vaccine Research Center. In 2014, Dr. Saunders joined the faculty at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute and is currently an Associate Professor with Tenure in the Department of Surgery. He was subsequently appointed as the Associate Director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Director of the Laboratory of Protein Expression, and Faculty Chairperson for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Dr. Saunders has given invited lectures at international conferences such as HIVR4P and the Keystone Symposia for HIV Vaccines. He has authored book chapters and numerous journal articles, and holds patents on vaccine design concepts and antiviral antibodies. His current research interests include vaccine and antibody development to combat viral infections.