Keynote Speaker

Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D., MBA, is the President and CEO, as well as a professor at
La Jolla Institute for Immunology. Throughout her career, Dr. Saphire had her sights
firmly trained on research areas with the greatest global scientific and public health
impact. She is one of the world’s leading experts in pandemic and emerging viruses
and has been a pioneer in structural immunology with many previously considered

impossible “firsts” to her name. These firsts are, of course, seminal discoveries in
understanding deadly viruses at the molecular level but, more importantly, her
successful efforts to build truly global, multidisciplinary consortia that had tremendous
impact on global human health and propelled the entire field forward. Capitalizing on
her unique ability to bring together researchers from academia, industry and
government to bridge the gulf between results obtained in the lab and treatments
urgently needed in the field, Dr. Saphire is leading several international consortia that
successfully addressed the urgent need for effective vaccines and antibody
therapeutics against viral threats such as COVID-19, Ebola, and Lassa. Recognizing
the need to close the research gap in women’s health, Dr. Saphire recently launched
an institute-wide initiative to uncover sex-based differences in the immune system and
how these foundational differences can be applied to improve the lives of both women
and men. Among many other awards and honors, Dr. Saphire’s work has been
recognized at the White House with the Presidential Early Career Award in Science and
Engineering, the Pantheon Award for Academia, Non-Profit and Research from the
California Life Sciences and Marion Spencer Fay Award.