PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Omid Akbari, PhD

Professor of Medicine
Professor of Immunology
Director of Flow Cytometry and Microscopy Core (MMI)
Email: akbari@usc.edu
Office Location: NRT 5505
Office Phone: (323) 442-7930
Lab Location: NRT 5509/5510
Lab Phone: (323) 442-7935

Dr. Akbari obtained his Ph.D. from Brigitta Stockinger’s laboratory in the Division of Molecular Immunology at the National Institute for Medical Research in UK. He performed postdoctoral work at Stanford University and in 2004 became Assistant Professor of Allergy and Immunology at Harvard Medical School. In 2008, Dr. Akbari joined the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine, where he is currently Professor of Immunology. Dr Akbari’s research is focused on understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms orchestrating the differentiation and function of innate and adaptive immune responses. Major areas of interest include: the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing the differentiation and function of regulatory T cells, dendritic cells and innate lymphoid cells and the potential roles these cells play in vaccination, autoimmunity, inflammation, cancer and infection.

Dr. Akbari is a recipient of several national and international grants and awards such as: American Lung Association fellowship award, the American Lung Association Research Grant, The Pharmacia award for the best research in the field of Immunology, Henning Loewenstein Research award for the excellent research in the field of Immunology. He is also a recipient of the Eleanor and Miles Shore prestigious grant from Harvard Medical School and several other grants from the National Institute of Health. He is currently serves as Associate Editor of several journals and also serves as a reviewer for several NIH and non-NIH study sections.