Michael Birnbaum

Michael Birnbaum is an Associate Professor of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), affiliated with the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. He holds a PhD from Stanford University and completed postdoctoral training under Carla Shatz at Stanford, supported by a Helen Hay Whitney Fellowship. His research focuses on understanding immune recognition mechanisms in cancer and infection, with emphasis on T-cell receptor (TCR) biology and engineered immunotherapies.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Physical Biology, Harvard University
• PhD in Biological Sciences, Stanford University (lab of K. Christopher Garcia)

Research Interests: The Birnbaum Lab develops tools to dissect immune response dynamics. Key areas include:

• High-throughput screening of TCR/peptide-MHC interactions
• Engineering chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) for targeted immunotherapy
• Mechanisms of immune evasion in cancer
• Biomanufacturing of CAR-T cells via microfluidic systems

Scientific Awards:

• AACR-TESARO Career Development Award (Immuno-oncology)
• Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering
• Pew-Stewart Scholarship for Cancer Research
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) New Innovators Award

Advising & Industry: Co-founder of Kelonia Therapeutics and Abata Therapeutics. Active in translational research, including development of SMART CAR-T manufacturing platforms and viral targeting strategies.

Labs/Teams: Director of the Birnbaum Lab at MIT, collaborating on Cancer Grand Challenges initiatives with Regina Barzilay and others. The lab integrates protein engineering, bioinformatics, and microfluidics for immune system interrogation.