Steven A. Porcelli

Steven A. Porcelli is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology and the Department of Medicine (Rheumatology) at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He serves as Chair of the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, holds the Murray and Evelyne Weinstock Chair in Microbiology & Immunology, and directs the Flow Cytometry Core Facility. His research focuses on T cell immunology and antigen presentation, particularly regarding protective immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and development of vaccines for viral diseases and cancer immunotherapy.

Dr. Porcelli’s work integrates two major areas: regulatory T cell biology (including CD1d-restricted NKT cells) and pathogen-specific T cell responses. His lab investigates lipid antigen presentation mechanisms, NKT cell activation for cancer therapy, and mycobacterial evasion strategies to enhance vaccine design. Recent studies include optimizing BCG vaccines with NKT-activating glycolipids and leveraging BCG-induced immunity to improve antiviral antibody responses against Ebola/SARS-CoV-2.

Scientific achievements include discovering how Mycobacterium tuberculosis suppresses autophagy/antigen presentation and pioneering covalently stabilized bispecific T cell engagers to generate anti-tumor immunity. He has held leadership roles in advancing translational immunology research and maintains an active lab at the Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus in Bronx, NY.