Amy Gillgrass

Amy Gillgrass is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Dalhousie University, Faculty of Medicine. Her research focuses on virology, immunology, and infectious diseases, particularly HIV cure strategies, HIV/TB co-infection pathogenesis, and mucosal immunology using humanized mouse models. She holds a BSc/MSc/PhD from McMaster University and has held positions at Turnstone Biologics (2017-2019) and McMaster University (2019-2024) before joining Dalhousie.

Education/Work:

• BSc/MSc/PhD in Microbiology & Immunology from McMaster University
• 2017-2019: Scientist at Turnstone Biologics
• 2019-2024: Assistant Professor at McMaster University

Her laboratory investigates host-pathogen interactions, with a focus on developing humanized mouse models to study HIV cure pathways and TB co-infection dynamics. Recent work includes vaccine development against SARS-CoV-2 variants and cancer immunotherapy leveraging NK cells.

Awards & Recognition:

• 2023-2026 E.J. Moran Campbell Internal Career Research Award (McMaster University)
• 2014 McMaster University Outstanding Thesis Award
• CIHR Frederick Banting & Charles Best Scholarship (2009-2011)

Current activities include recruiting graduate/honours students and advancing translational research in immunomodulatory therapies and vaccine design. The Gillgrass Lab collaborates extensively across disciplines to address global health challenges posed by infectious diseases and cancer.