Erin J. Adams

 

Erin J. Adams is the Joseph Regenstein Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and in the College.

 

As vice provost for research, Erin is responsible for overseeing both administration and development of the research enterprise at the University of Chicago. She manages the broad research infrastructure that constitutes the foundation to UChicago’s research enterprise, such as University Research Administration (URA), the Office of Research Safety, and the Research Computing Center. She also provides strategic and comprehensive support to the divisions, schools, institutes, and faculty to facilitate large-scale, cross-disciplinary initiatives through her oversight of the Office of Research Development Support and the University of Chicago Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering (CASE).

 

Erin joined the faculty in 2005 as an Assistant Professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and is a member of the Committees on Immunology, Cancer Biology, Genetics, Genomics & Systems Biology. She has been a member of the Comprehensive Cancer Center since 2006. Erin was a founding faculty member of the myCHOICE Career Development program which serves the trainee populations of the Biological and Physical Sciences Divisions as well as the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. She has served on the Committee and the Council of the University Senate. Erin is a noted graduate student mentor, and in 2019 was awarded the Biological Sciences Division Award for Distinguished Educator/Mentor. She also served as the vice president of UChicago’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

 

Erin’s research uses structural biology, biochemistry, and biophysics to understand how certain components of the immune system distinguish healthy tissue from that of diseased. Through understanding the biological mechanisms and outcomes of this recognition, her laboratory seeks to translate this information to clinical applications in the treatment of infectious disease, cancer, and autoimmunity.

 

Erin graduated Phi Beta Kappa and cum laude with a BSc in animal physiology and neuroscience from the University of California at San Diego and earned her PhD in molecular evolution from the University of California at Berkeley. She performed postdoctoral studies in the Microbiology & Immunology and Structural Biology Departments at Stanford University. Her research is supported by a portfolio of grants from the National Institutes of Health.

 

Click here to visit the Vice Provost for Research website.