Graduate Alum Takes Ph.D. to Vaccine Development

Biochemistry Ph.D. alumnus Frederick Porter
Fred Porter – Duke Human Vaccine Institute

For biochemistry Ph.D. alumnus Frederick Porter, graduate school was a start to a second phase in his career. After beginning a career in the pharmaceutical industry, he came to the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Biochemistry in his thirties to study virology under biochemistry professor Ann Palmenberg. After graduating in 2008 and completing a postdoc, his career took him out of the basic science lab and into vaccine product development.

After graduating from the department, Fred spent eight years in the vaccine industry where he held multiple roles leading the development of vaccines against viral diseases such as influenza, HIV, and respiratory syncytial virus. In June 2016, he moved back into an academic role to become the senior director of product development at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute.

“As the lead of product development here at the institute, I was recruited to start up an organization that will translate scientific ideas into products,” Porter explains. “I work as part of a scientific team to find the best vaccine candidates to test in pre-clinical animal models and clinical trials, all while navigating the technical and regulatory hurdles of this type of work.”

To read more about Porter’s position and experience in IPiB, see the link below.

URL: https://biochem.wisc.edu/2017/09/21/graduate-alum-takes-biochemistry-ph-d-to-vaccine-development/