Nancy Sullivan

Nancy Jean Sullivan is an American cell biologist researching filovirus immunology and vaccine development. She is a senior investigator and chief of the biodefense research section at the Vaccine Research Center. Her team discovered the monoclonal antibody, mAb114. Education Sullivan completed a doctor of science from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 1997. She conducted a dissertation in the laboratory of Joseph Sodroski, where her work demonstrated that primary HIV isolates exhibit resistance to antibody neutralization due to occlusion of the coreceptor binding site on gp120. Following her work on HIV, Sullivan pursued postdoctoral training under the guidance of Gary Nabel, studying the mechanisms of Ebola virus pathogenesis and immune protection. Career Sullivan is a cell biologist. She is a tenured senior investigator and chief of the biodefense research section at the Vaccine Research Center. Research Sullivan’s research is on the immunologic correlates and mechanisms of protection against infection by hemorrhagic fever viruses including Ebola virus. Her work on filovirus immunology and vaccine development is widely considered as one of the very best in the field despite the difficulties of conducting research under highly specialized BSL-4 containment conditions. Sullivan’s innovative and specialized work on filovirus immunology is recognized worldwide and has consistently been the source of novel observations that have contributed to critical advancements in the field.