Biography
Dr. Priyamvada Acharya is an associate professor in surgery in the Duke University Medical Center and the Director of the Division of Structural Biology at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI). Dr. Acharya serves as the director of the Duke Center for HIV Structural Biology (DCHSB) and lead of the administrative core. She also leads the Structural Biology Core in the DCHSB along with co-director, Dr. Alberto Bartesaghi.
Dr. Acharya’s research uses cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and x-ray crystallography for visualizing the HIV-1 Envelope (Env) and its complexes with the host immune system. The major directions of her research include understanding the structural and mechanistic details of HIV-1 entry and to visualize interactions of the HIV-1 Env with antibodies elicited during natural infection or by vaccination. Combining these two intersecting areas of basic research, in the Division of Structural Biology at DHVI and in this Duke Center for HIV Structural Biology, Dr. Acharya promotes a highly collaborative research environment to leverage atomic level findings for rational development of interventions for HIV-1 treatment and prevention.