Prof Melody Swartz is the William B. Ogden Professor at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, USA, where she holds a joint appointment in the Ben May Department for Cancer Research. Trained as a bioengineer, Prof Swartz uses quantitative approaches in immunobiology and physiology, including biotransport and biomechanics, in order to develop a deeper understanding of how the lymphatic system regulates immunity in homeostasis and disease, particularly in cancer and chronic inflammation. Her lab applies this knowledge to developing novel immunotherapeutic approaches in cancer. She obtained her PhD in chemical engineering from MIT and did postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, USA. She then held academic appointments at Northwestern University, USA, and then at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), where she also served as Director of the Institute of Bioengineering. Among her many honours, Prof Swartz was elected to the American National Academy of Medicine in 2020 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2018. She was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2012.

Profile Photo Credit: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation