Andrea L. Graham

Andrea L. Graham earned an A.B. Summa cum laude in Biology and Sculpture from Mount Holyoke College and a Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University.   She completed postdoctoral training in immunology and then held research fellowships at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, before moving to Princeton.  Andrea won a Role Model Award from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo & Wildlife Research in 2017, was awarded a Kavli Fellowship from the Kavli Foundation and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2018, and was elected a Fellow of AAAS in 2020.   Her research focuses on the causes and consequences of immunological heterogeneity of mammals, especially those infected by parasitic worms or plagued by autoimmune diseases.

Graham is an evolutionary immunologist, which means that she views the causes and consequences of immune heterogeneity through the lens of evolutionary ecology. She therefore considers phylogenetic and genetic origins of immune function alongside environmental mediators.  She also never forgets coevolutionary history with parasites and other symbionts when interpreting the evolved design and rules of deployment of host immune systems.  Furthermore, she analyzes the dynamics of immune cells responding to infection in light of the costs and benefits of collective behavior. Graham is especially interested in mammalian immune systems, and how they navigate the balance between protective and pathological responses to diverse infections, cancers, and the challenges of constant exposure to self antigens.