Department of Immunobiology

The Department of Immunobiology at Yale is a highly interdisciplinary and interactive group focused on basic immunological research and multiple aspects of human diseases.

Training in Immunobiology

The Department of Immunobiology has a long tradition of interdisciplinary training in immunology. Pre- and post-doctoral trainees can receive research training in a combination of laboratories, allowing them to acquire a unique range of technical skills and concepts to be applied to a focused problem. In addition, trainees receive formal course work, attend seminars at which the research of outside experts or fellow trainees is presented and critiqued, and are free to exploit the considerable intellectual resources at Yale University. Each student selects his/her course of research and study in consultation with a mentor and a committee of advisors. Predoctoral training in Immunobiology leads to a Ph.D. or a combined M.D./Ph.D. degree, and is designed to train individuals to perform independent research. For more information, visit the Immunobiology Graduate Program page.

History of Immunobiology at Yale

The Department of Immunobiology was established in the summer of 1988 with the appointment of Dr. Richard A. Flavell as its founding Chairman. It was one of the first University Departments in the country devoted specifically to the study of the immune system. Prior to Dr. Flavell's arrival, Immunology research at Yale was housed for many years within the Department of Microbiology, and subsequently in the Department of Pathology where it was organized as the Division of Immunology headed by the late Dr. Richard K. Gershon. Dr. Gershon, whose research focused on regulation of the immune response, developed a sizable division within the Department of Pathology between 1977 and 1983. more…

News

Yale Researchers Describe How Vaccine Adjuvant Jump-Starts Immune System

Yale University researchers have determined how a key component of many vaccines activates an immune system response, a finding that opens up promising new avenues of research on better ways to prevent infections. more…

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Mouse With a Human Immune System Could Revolutionize Research
(see right column)

Richard Flavell, M.D., Sterling Professor and chair of immunobiology, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, uses mouse reverse genetics in studying the immune system.

New building is ‘a place for great science’

Environ- mentally friendly features abound in new space for research. The new research building on Amistad St. is a bright beacon for the interdisciplinary research led by William Sessa, Haifan Lin and Jordan Pober. More from Medicine@Yale…

Biotech spinoffs fuel New Haven economy

2007 was a banner year for startup companies based on discoveries in Yale labs. More from Yale Medicine…