Regular biography
Pamela J. Bjorkman is the David Baltimore Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering and Merkin Institute Professor at the California Institute of Technology, affiliated with the Biology and Biological Engineering department. Her research focuses on immune recognition of viral pathogens, including HIV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and hepatitis C virus. She employs structural biology techniques such as X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, and biochemistry to study pathogen glycoproteins and host immune proteins. Her work includes investigating conformational changes in HIV-1 Env trimers and developing immunogens to elicit neutralizing antibodies. She has also explored imaging HIV-infected tissues using electron tomography and immunofluorescence. Bjorkman's research contributes to understanding how the immune system recognizes and responds to viral infections, with implications for vaccine development.