Joseph Michael McGraw, Ph.D.
Doctoral Thesis: The Role of JAML-CXADR Interactions in Antitumor Immunity
Undergraduate Institution: Lehigh University
Noteworthy Publications: "γδ T cells and IgE team up to prevent tumors," Nature Immunology (2018)
Honors & Awards: ARCS Scholar (2019-2020)
Favorite Aspects of Graduate Studies: "I think one of the best parts of my graduate experience at Scripps was the freedom to pursue research that interested me the most. During my time in Wendy's lab, I was able to work on a variety of different collaborations, both within the lab and with others at Scripps, and I think this ability to coordinate with others to pursue really interesting research questions will be incredibly important for my career moving forward. I know from this experience that not all research projects work out, but you learn valuable lessons along the way that definitely inform future research."
Next Steps: "I recently started as a postdoctoral associate with with Travis Young at Calibr, and I'll be working on a project that's in part a continuation of some of my thesis work, and the goal is to develop a novel cancer immunotherapy based on some of the pioneering work that Wendy (Havran) had done on gamma-delta T cells in her group. I'm excited to be able to work on this kind of translational research and we'll see where this project takes me. My long-term goal is to continue working in the field of immunology to develop a deeper understanding of how the immune system functions - both in autoimmunity and cancer, with the hope of identifying new therapeutic approaches."
Be sure to join us at 10 a.m. PDT on Friday, July 31 for our Virtual Commencement Ceremony! McGraw's advisor and mentor, Prof. Linda A. Sherman, will deliver a few words (as will McGraw) about his graduate experience, and viewers can learn about our 43 other 2020 graduates, who are now setting out to build careers that will impact the future of biomedical research.
