Thembi Mdluli, PhD
Dr. Thembi Mdluli is a computational biologist in the Viral Genetics & Systems Serology Core at MHRP under the supervision of Dr. Morgane Rolland since 2017. The lab is a multidisciplinary team of scientists who conduct assays and perform computational analyses aimed at deepening our understanding of the evolution of HIV-1 and emerging infectious diseases, including filoviruses such as Ebola, coronaviruses, and flaviviruses. Her research primarily focuses on systems serology, where she applies advanced computational analysis and machine learning techniques to evaluate extensive multi-variate immunology data. She is skilled at generating predictive models that investigate immune responses following infection or vaccination. She earned her PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Computational Life Sciences from Purdue University and a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
COMPASS Leadership Program Washington University in St. Louis August 2023 – December 2023
Graduate Certificate in Competitive Business Intelligence Georgetown University August 2023 – December 2024
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Summer Internship (FDA/CDER/DARS) May 2016 – August 2026
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Post Baccalaureate (CBER/FDA/NIH) September 2010- July 2011
| Thembi Mdluli, Suzanne Wollen-Roberts, Mélanie Merbah, Bradley Beckman, Yifan Li, Aljawharah Alrubayyi, Daniel J. Curtis, Zhanna Shubin, Michael D. Barrera, Jacob Boeckelman, Shayla Duncan, Pallavi Thapa, Dohoon Kim, Margaret C. Costanzo, Hongjun Bai, Bethany L. Dearlove, Jay W. Hooper, Steven A. Kwilas, Dominic Paquin-Proulx, Michael A. Eller, Leigh Anne Eller, Hannah Kibuuka, Betty Mwesigwa, Josphat Kosgei, Fredrick Sawe, Janet Oyieko, Nyanda Ntinginya, Joel Mwakisisile, Ilesh Jani, Edna Viegas, Michael Iroezindu, Akindiran Akintunde, Kristopher Paolino, Merlin L. Robb, Lucy Ward, Chelsea McLean, Kerstin Luhn, Cynthia Robinson, Julie A. Ake, Morgane Rolland. Ebola virus vaccination elicits Ebola virus specific immune responses without significant cross-reactivity to other Filoviruses. Ready for publication |
| Mdluli, T., Slike, B. M., Curtis, D. J., Shubin, Z., Tran, U., Li, Y., Dussupt, V., Mendez-Rivera, L., Pinyakorn, S., Stieh, D. J., Tomaka, F. L., Schuitemaker, H., Pau, M. G., Colby, D. J., Kroon, E., Sacdalan, C., de Souza, M., Phanupak, N., Hsu, D. C., & Ananworanich, J. (2024). Mosaic vaccine-induced antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis associated with delayed HIV-1 viral load rebound post treatment interruption. Cell Reports, 43(6), 114344. |
| Ober, B. L., Scott, P. T., Hutter, J. N., Lee, C., McCauley, M. D., Guzman, I., Bryant, C., McGuire, S., Kennedy, J., Chen, W.-H., Hajduczki, A., Thembi Mdluli, Anais Valencia-Ruiz, Amare, M. F., Matyas, G. R., Rao, M., Rolland, M., Mascola, J. R., De, S. C., & McElrath, M. J. (2024). SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike ferritin nanoparticle vaccine adjuvanted with Army Liposome Formulation containing monophosphoryl lipid A and QS-21: a phase 1, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, first-in-human clinical trial. The Lancet Microbe, 5(6), e581–e593. |
| Mdluli, T., Li, Y., Pinyakorn, S., Reeves, D. B., Cardozo-Ojeda, E. F., Yates, A., Intasan, J., Tipsuk, S., Phanuphak, N., Sacdalan, C., Colby, D. J., Kroon, E., Crowell, T. A., Thomas, R., Robb, M. L., Ananworanich, J., de Souza, M., Phanuphak, P., Stieh, D. J., & Tomaka, F. L. (2022). Acute HIV-1 infection viremia associate with rebound upon treatment interruption. Med (New York, N.Y.), 3(9), 622-635.e3. |
| Mdluli, T., Jian, N., Slike, B., Paquin-Proulx, D., Donofrio, G., Alrubayyi, A., Gift, S., Grande, R., Bryson, M., Lee, A., Dussupt, V., Mendez-Riveria, L., Sanders-Buell, E., Chenine, A.-L., Tran, U., Li, Y., Brown, E., Edlefsen, P. T., O’Connell, R., & Gilbert, P. (2020). RV144 HIV-1 vaccination impacts post-infection antibody responses. PLoS Pathogens, 16(12), e1009101. |
Area of Research
Institution Affiliations
Viral Genomics Section & Systems Serology Core, HJF Global Infectious Diseases in support of the WRAIR U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP)