Co-Director, MISM
Professor in Surgery, Duke
R. Keith Reeves, PhD, Co-Director, is a tenured Professor of Surgery and Pathology, a Director at the Center for Human Systems Immunology, Director of the Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, and Director of the Center for AIDS Research Developmental Core at Duke University. Dr. Reeves obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, studying dendritic cell biology in lentiviral infections, then completed his postdoctoral training in lentiviral vaccinology, natural killer cells, and innate immunity at the New England Primate Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School (HMS). He later became a faculty member at HMS and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, reaching the rank of Associate Professor. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the journal AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses and is the immediate past chair of the NIH HIV Immunopathogenesis and Vaccine Development study section.
Dr. Reeves has previously served on NIH F13 fellowship study sections and has been on the HIV Vaccine Trial Network (HVTN) ESI Advisory Board for over a decade, collectively mentoring dozens of trainees at all levels. Dr. Reeves maintains a broad portfolio of NIH, private, and industry-supported research and currently serves as chair of the HIV Immunopathogenesis and Vaccine Development study section and is Editor-in-Chief of AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. He has worked in innate immunity and viral immunology for over 20 years and has provided some of the most modern characterizations of innate lymphocytes in humans and primates. Considered a global expert in innate immunology and immune profiling, Dr. Reeves has extensive expertise in polychromatic flow cytometry, cellular immunity assays, cytokine production, immune signaling, immunopathology studies, and cellular engineering. His research is heavily focused on translational infectious disease and vaccine studies, including influenza, HIV, SIV, CMV, and HCV.
Dr. Reeves’ significant scientific and management experience has been consistently supported by the NIH for well over 15 years, including leadership roles on multiple R-, P-, and U-series NIH grants and participation in consortia grants such as the HVTN and the BEAT-HIV Delaney Cure Collaboratory. His laboratory also provided the first evidence for NK cell memory in any primate species and the first description of innate lymphoid cell loss due to lentivirus infection. Dr. Reeves’ group continues to focus on cutting-edge approaches to harness innate immunity in the context of vaccines and immunotherapeutics, as well as to understand the consequences of ongoing immune activation and immune aging.
Together with MPI Dr. Chan, he leads the MISM Administrative Core, coordinates with NIAID and internal and external advisory committees, and oversees the budget and resources.