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Lewis Lanier, PhD

Member Researcher; Founding Director of the PICI Center at UCSF

Biography

Lewis L. Lanier, PhD, is an American Cancer Society Professor and J. Michael Bishop, MD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at UCSF and Founding Director of the PICI Center at UCSF.

Dr. Lanier received his BS in Biology from Virginia Tech and PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from UNC – Chapel Hill. After postdoctoral studies, he joined the R&D Department at the Becton Dickinson Monoclonal Center, advancing to Associate Director. In 1990, he joined the DNAX Research Institute, where he advanced to Director of Immunobiology, and in 1999, joined the faculty of UCSF. His research group studies Natural Killer cells, which recognize and eliminate cells that have become transformed or infected by viruses. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic Tumor Immunology from the Cancer Research Institute (2002), received the Rose Payne Award for contributions to the field of Immunogenetics by the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (2005), was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences (2010) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2011). He served as President of the American Association of Immunologists (2006- 2007), received the AAI Excellence in Mentoring Award in 2017 and was awarded the AAI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.

Education & Training

  • 1975: Virginia Tech, BS
  • 1978: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, PhD

Awards & Honors

  • 2017: American Association of Immunology Excellence in Mentoring Award
  • 2013: J. Michael Bishop MD Distinguished Professor, UCSF; Distinguished UNC Alumnus Award, UNC – Chapel Hill
  • 2011: Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Faculty Research Lecture – Basic Science Award, UCSF; Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology
  • 2010: Member, National Academy of Sciences
  • 2007: President, American Association of Immunologists
  • 2005: Rose Payne Award, American Society for Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics
  • 2003: Research Professor, American Cancer Society
  • 2002: William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology, Cancer Research Institute
  • 2001: Distinguished Service Award, American Association of Immunologists
  • 1990: Research Fellow, Becton Dickinson
  • 1981: Postdoctoral Fellow, Damon Runyon – Walter Winchell Cancer Fund