Brian Pierce

Dr. Brian Pierce is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (CBMG) at the University of Maryland, affiliated with the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) and the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences. His research focuses on computational structural biology, immune recognition mechanisms, and structure-based vaccine design, particularly targeting viruses like Hepatitis C (HCV) and SARS-CoV-2. He holds a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from Boston University and a B.S. in Physics and Computer Science from Duke University.

Key research areas include T cell receptor (TCR) modeling, antibody-antigen interactions, and viral glycoprotein structures. Pierce's lab develops computational tools like AlphaFold-based models and the TCR3d database to advance vaccine design and immunotherapies. Notable achievements include the NIH R35 Grant and contributions to HCV vaccine candidates through structural insights. Collaborations with institutions like Stanford and NIH have furthered his work on viral escape mechanisms and TCR engineering.