Heather Melichar

Dr. Heather Melichar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Montreal, where she leads a research group at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center. With a PhD from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley, her work focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating T cell development and function, particularly through thymic microenvironment interactions.

• Doctoral: University of Massachusetts Medical School (Dr. Joonsoo Kang lab)
• Postdoctoral: University of California, Berkeley (Dr. Ellen Robey lab)

Her research employs advanced techniques like multiparameter flow cytometry, two-photon microscopy, and genetically modified mouse models to investigate:

• TCR selection thresholds during thymocyte development
• Age-related differences in thymic selection
• Role of tissue-restricted antigens in mTEC
• Tumor-immune cell interactions via novel protein-protein signaling

Key article trends reveal sustained focus on developmental immunology, with recent expansions into neuroimmunology, metabolic disorders, and tumor immunology. Her 2023-2025 work includes translational studies on navitoclax therapy and epigenetic impacts of early-life infections.

Scientific awards include FRSQ and CIHR fellowships. Current grants support investigations into vitamin D signaling in thymic aging and tumor-immune crosstalk.

She supervises graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in laboratory projects, while co-supervising with interdisciplinary collaborators in genetics and oncology.