Bio:

Shanel joined the Allen Institute for Immunology as a Scientist I in December 2024. She obtained her PhD in Immunology and Molecular Biology from The Scripps Research Institute. Her thesis work with Dr. Matthew Pipkin focused on transcriptional regulation of memory CD8+ T cells, investigating the formation of circulatory and tissue resident memory cells in response to viral infection and cancer using flow cytometry and bioinformatics approaches. Prior to starting her PhD, Shanel worked as a clinical research assistant at Stanford University and the Lucille S. Packard Children’s Hospital, where she witnessed firsthand the impact of early research on patient lives. She received her B.S. degree in Biosystems Engineering from Virginia Tech.