Facundo Batista

Facundo Batista is a Professor of Biology at MIT and holds the Phillip and Susan Ragon Professorship in Biology. He serves as Associate Director and Scientific Director of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard. His research focuses on B lymphocyte biology and preclinical vaccinology, with contributions to HIV, malaria, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development. He leads a lab that combines fundamental immunology with translational research, using humanized mouse models to assess vaccine efficacy.

Education: PhD from the International School of Advanced Studies (1995), BSc from the University of Buenos Aires (1991).

• Developed humanized mouse models for malaria and HIV vaccines
• Investigated B cell receptor signaling and autophagy in immune responses
• Recipient of awards including the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award and EMBO membership

Recent work includes mRNA-LNP vaccine strategies and antibody maturation mechanisms. His group collaborates on global initiatives like the Scripps CHAVD consortium and MIT's public course on SARS-CoV-2.

Key grants include NIAID funding for B cell biology and Gates Foundation support for malaria research. Supervises a team of over 30 researchers including graduate students in immunology and vaccinology.

Labs: Batista Lab at MIT/Ragon Institute. Active in editorial roles, currently Chief Editor of EMBO Journal.