Congratulations to Dilshan Malewana, PhD, who on January 10 successfully defended his dissertation, “Mechanisms of Enhancement of Antibody Responses by Escalating Dose Immunization in Mice."
After graduation, Malewana, a member of the Barton Haynes and Kevin Saunders labs, plans to conduct postdoctoral research at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. “I will be focusing on pandemic preparedness, particularly in the area of vaccine development, which aligns closely with my PhD work,” he said. His long-term career goal is to address health inequities through the integration of public health and immunology.
Malewana said he appreciated the opportunity to explore a variety of fields within the department and PhD program.
“A key highlight was joining the Duke Human Vaccine Institute for my dissertation research, where I was able to contribute to translating basic science into impactful interventions. The translational aspect of research is particularly important to me, as I’m focused on implementing scientific discoveries to improve public health in my future work. This experience reinforced my commitment to advancing research that leads to tangible health impacts.”