Shivani Srivastava

Dr. Shivani Srivastava serves as an Assistant Professor in the Human Biology Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch), where she also holds membership in both the Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC) and the Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center (TDS IRC). Her laboratory focuses on improving cancer immunotherapies, particularly CAR-T cell therapies, by applying insights from basic T cell biology to clinical applications.

Dr. Srivastava's educational background includes:

• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 2020, Postdoc (Cancer Immunotherapy)
• University of Washington, 2014, PhD (Immunology)
• Stanford University, 2009, MS (Biological Sciences)
• Stanford University, 2008, BS (Biological Sciences), BA (Religious Studies)

Her research centers on understanding how normal T cells respond to disease to make CAR-T cell therapies more effective against solid tumors. The Srivastava Lab uses clinically relevant mouse models to uncover mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment that limit tumor-specific T cell activity. By identifying barriers that block CAR T cells from working optimally, her team develops strategies to enhance engineered T cell efficacy that can be translated back to clinical settings.

Dr. Srivastava's significant scientific contributions have been recognized through numerous prestigious awards:

• NCI MERIT Award to investigate improving engineered cancer immunotherapies against solid tumors
• V Foundation Bob Bast Translational Research Grant with one of the highest ratings by the Scientific Advisory Committee
• American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant
• IIRC Pilot Award
• Multiple technology exploratory awards from 10X Genomics

As a dedicated mentor, Dr. Srivastava advises multiple graduate students including Mitch Kluesner, Sam Nutt, Andrew Snyder, Sydney Marsh, and Amelia Wilhelm. Her laboratory, located in the Lake Union Steam Plant at Fred Hutch, has received substantial grant support including an NCI Developmental Research Program grant through the Fred Hutch Lung SPORE. The lab has grown significantly since its establishment in 2020, now comprising postdoctoral fellows, research technicians, and graduate students working collaboratively on advancing cancer immunotherapy.