Dr. Rory Henderson is an Assistant Professor in Medicine at Duke University, the Head of Molecular Modeling and Simulation in the Division of Structural Biology at the Duke Human Vaccine Insitute, and the Project 1 Lead for the Duke Center for HIV Structural Biology (DCHSB).

Dr. Henderson’s lab focuses on understanding how the dynamics of macromolecules of the immune system and its antigenic targets determine the immune response to infection and how these dynamics can be manipulated to guide the selection of a favorable antibody response. We utilize a diverse computational and experimental tool set to interrogate key pathogen and antibody dynamics and use rational design principles to design immunogens and probe putative functional mechanisms.  

With Dr. Henderson’s background in molecular modeling and simulation along with biochemical and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) techniques, he and his lab investigate these details at high spatial and temporal resolution. Together, these methods provide a promising approach toward accelerating the design and characterization of the next generation of vaccine immunogens.