Ai Ing Lim

Ai Ing Lim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University, where she leads a research program focused on maternal-offspring immune crosstalk. Her work integrates immunology, developmental biology, and microbiology to understand how maternal environmental exposures—particularly infections—affect the long-term immune development of offspring. She is affiliated with the School of Science and conducts research at the Schultz Laboratory.

Education:

• Ph.D., Universite Paris Diderot, Institut Pasteur-Paris University International Doctoral Program
• M.Phil., The University of Hong Kong
• B.S., The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Dr. Lim's research centers on the plasticity of the immune system during early development. She investigates how maternal infection remodels offspring tissue-specific immunity, how breastmilk composition is altered by infection, and how maternal immunity adapts during pregnancy and lactation. Her work highlights the importance of prenatal immune education and aims to uncover mechanisms underlying rising immune disorders. Using multidisciplinary models, her lab combines human and murine immunology with infectious disease challenges.

Her recent publications reveal trends in developmental immunology, particularly the concept of pre-birth immune priming and the role of innate lymphoid cells in tissue immunity. The articles span topics from maternal infection-induced inflammation to cellular plasticity, emphasizing how environmental cues shape immune ontogeny. This body of work contributes to understanding the origins of immune diseases and informs strategies for early-life interventions.

Scientific Awards and Recognitions:

• International Rising Talents, L’Oréal-UNESCO
• ACTERIA Doctoral Prize, European Federation of Immunological Societies
• Sidney & Joan Pestka Post Graduate Award, International Cytokine and Interferon Society
• HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholar (2025)
• Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award (2025)
• Searle Scholar (2024)

Dr. Lim has secured competitive fellowships and grants throughout her career, including the Marie Curie Fellowship and the Human Frontier Science Program fellowship, which supported her doctoral and postdoctoral training. These grants enabled her interdisciplinary research at the Pasteur Institute and the National Institutes of Health. As a principal investigator at Princeton, she continues to lead funded projects on maternal-offspring immunity, host-microbe interactions, and developmental immunology. She is also committed to mentoring, as evidenced by her trainee receiving the Pew Latin American Fellowship.

Her research is conducted through an independent laboratory at Princeton University, where she explores fundamental questions in immunity using cutting-edge approaches in infectious diseases, immunology, and developmental biology. The lab focuses on both maternal adaptation to pregnancy and fetal immune programming, contributing to a more equitable and comprehensive understanding of women’s and children’s health.