Bahawar Sharif Dhillon

Raised in Lahore, Pakistan, Bahawar moved to the United States to attend the University of Rochester, where he majored in Biological Sciences with a focus on Molecular Genetics and minored in Computer Science and Computational Biology. During his undergraduate years, he worked on identifying epigenomic correlates of longevity in the Gorbunova-Seluanov Lab and dissecting signatures of T cell exhaustion in the Ciucci Lab. After graduating, he worked as a research technician in the Rudensky Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. There, he profiled a novel breast cancer immunotherapy targeting CCR8⁺ regulatory T cells and collaborated on projects studying the functions of transcription factor complexes, as well as the impact of regulatory T cell depletion in a lung adenocarcinoma model. Currently, Bahawar is a PhD student in the Immunology Program at Harvard University. In the Chiu Lab, he employs multi-omic approaches to investigate immune system dynamics at the borders of the central nervous system using mouse models of infection and pain. When not in the lab, he enjoys hosting friends and exploring Pakistani literature, music, and cuisine.