Skip to main content
Close
Vilcek Foundation
  • About
    • About

      The Vilcek Foundation raises awareness of immigrant contributions in the United States and fosters appreciation of the arts and sciences.

    • Our Mission
    • Board & Staff
    • Press Center
    • Contact
  • Prizes
    • Prizes

      The Vilcek Foundation Prizes are awarded to foreign-born individuals for extraordinary achievement in the arts and sciences.

    • About the Prizes

      Learn more about the Vilcek Foundation Prizes and the prizewinners.

    • Vilcek Prizes

      Awarded to immigrants with a legacy of major accomplishments.

    • Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise

      Awarded to young immigrant professionals who have demonstrated outstanding achievement early in their careers.

    • Vilcek Prize for Excellence

      Awarded to immigrants who have had a significant impact on American society, or to individuals who are dedicated champions of immigrant causes.

    • Prize Recipients
    • Grants for Organizations
  • Art
  • Events
  • News
Sign Up Search
Home > Prizes > Prize Recipients > F. Nina Papavasiliou

F. Nina Papavasiliou

2009 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise Honoree in Biomedical Science

Title

Helmholtz professor, Division of Immune Diversity at the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany; Adjunct professor, The Rockefeller University

Area(s) of Research

Somatic hypermutation, a positive form of mutagenesis; enzymes called cytidine deaminases, which mediate both somatic hypermutation and innate antiviral responses

Education

Yale (postdoc, biochemistry); Rockefeller University (MS, molecular immunology); Oberlin College (BS, biology)

Country of Birth

Greece

Tags
biomedical science
Share this page
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
A photo of F. Nina Papavasiliou
Photo courtesy of Rockefeller University

The research province of F. Nina Papavasiliou, born in Thessaloniki, Greece, is a process in the human body called somatic hypermutation, a positive form of mutagenesis.

Papavasiliou earned her undergraduate degree in biology from Oberlin (Ohio) College, with a minor in German literature. But her direction was clearly science, and in 1998 she went on to pursue graduate studies in molecular immunology at The Rockefeller University, in New York City. Subsequently, at Yale University, where she conducted her postdoctoral research, she gained expertise in biochemistry and identified the focus of her future work.

Her postdoctoral fellowship at an end, Papavasiliou returned to The Rockefeller University as assistant professor and head of the Laboratory of Lymphocyte Biology. There, she chose to investigate the processes in the body that have harnessed the power of mutation for beneficial purposes, rather than follow a more common line of study — mutations in the human genome that lead to inherited abnormalities as well as malignancies. Papavasiliou is also interested in the evolution of hypermutation, having discovered that several organisms use the process as a weapon against viruses. To that end, she and her staff have been researching how enzymes called cytidine deaminases mediate both somatic hypermutation and innate antiviral responses.

 

Awards and Accomplishments

  • Sinsheimer Fund Scholar Award (2005)
  • Scholar, Searle Foundation (2003)
  • Fellow, Keck Foundation (2002)
Tags
biomedical science

Jury Members

2009 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise Honoree in Biomedical Science

Heran Darwin

Assistant Professor of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine

Laurie Dempsey

Senior Editor, Nature Immunology

Peter Palese

Professor and Chair, Microbiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Jan Vilcek

Professor of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine

Leslie Vosshall

Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chemers Family Associate Professor, The Rockefeller University

Nicholas Wade

Science Department, The New York Times

Jedd Wolchok

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Associate Director, Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Share this page
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Related Prize Recipients

Katerina Akassoglou

Katerina Akassoglou is an honoree for the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science.

Iannis Aifantis

Iannis Aifantis is an honoree for the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science.

Evgeny Nudler

Evgeny Nudler is an honoree for the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science.

You may also be interested in

March 29, 2022

Katalin Karikó: The sacrifices and successes of immigrant scientists

Amid multiple awards for the development of mRNA vaccines, Hungarian biochemist Katalin Karikó insists that her greatest success has been being able to show up every day for a career she is passionate about.
Katalin Karikó standing in the woods in a beige coat with fur trim.
February 22, 2022

Vishva M. Dixit: A scientist who swings for the fences

Vilcek Prizewinner Vishva M. Dixit’s career has been fueled by his passion for discovery, and his ambition to make a lasting impact on medicine.
Vishva Dixit with a big smile and a multicolor button-down.
February 15, 2022

Harris Wang: Using synthetic biology to understand our world

Wang’s creative and independent thinking has established him as a leader in the field of synthetic biology.
Harris Wang smiling as he walks down a street.

Join our mailing list

Sign Up
Vilcek Foundation
21 East 70th Street
New York, New York 10021

Phone: 212.472.2500

Email: info@vilcek.org

  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Board and Staff
    • Press Center
    • Contact
  • Prizes
    • Vilcek Prizes
    • Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise
    • Vilcek Prize for Excellence
    • Prize Recipients
    • Grants for Organizations
  • Art
  • Events
  • News
  • Careers
Connect with us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Vimeo
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
© 2022   Vilcek Foundation