David E. Gordon, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine 

Emory Vaccine Center

The Gordon laboratory utilizes high-throughput experimental genetics and proteomics to build mechanistic models of biological functions and applies this knowledge to invent new therapeutic treatments. We are interested in all aspects of human biology, with a focus on virology and the human immune system as these offer tractable genetic systems, an ample supply of primary tissues, and opportunities to rapidly test therapeutic interventions.

Dr. Gordon has a diverse research background spanning cell and molecular biology, experimental genetics, proteomics, virology, and systems biology. As a graduate student at the University of Cambridge he applied combinatorial experimental genetics and proteomics to map redundant vesicle trafficking pathways. Later, as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California San Francisco, he pioneered the use of high-throughput genetic interaction mapping to study HIV host-dependencies. He also spearheaded the first peer-reviewed protein interaction maps of the highly pathogenic coronaviruses SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1, and MERS. Gordons laboratory builds on lessons learned during these pioneering studies to develop high-throughput experiments in primary systems, to systematically dissect the mechanistic basis of immune functions and infection by pathogens of pandemic concern.

We are affiliated with the Emory University Department of Pathology, which is ranked 6th in the United States in NIH research funding, enabling superb research support and access to state-of-the-art equipment. Based next to the CDC, with ample access to BSL facilities at Emory, we are located at a nexus of infectious disease research, and our location in the Emory Vaccine Center with the Pathology Translational Research Unit provides extraordinary collaboration opportunities with world-leading immunologists. We are within walking distance to Emory University Hospital and the Emory National Primate Center, offering numerous collaborative opportunities in both clinical and animal studies.