Penny L. Moore

Biosketch

Penny L. Moore is the South African Research Chair in Virus-Host Dynamics and a research professor and director of the Antibody Immunity Research Unit, an extramural unit of the South African Medical Research Council at the University of the Witwatersrand and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases. Dr. Moore also holds a joint appointment as an honorary senior scientist at the Center for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Dr. Moore leads a team of over 40 scientists, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students who work in the field of HIV and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine discovery. Her team integrates virology, immunology, structural biology, and bioinformatics. Recently, her team has expanded its work to include Ebola, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus. Moore is deeply committed to mentorship and capacity development and is currently supervising more than 50 graduate students.

Research Interests

Penny L. Moore is interested in the interplay between evolving viruses and B-cell immunity. Her multidisciplinary team integrates virology, immunology, structural biology, and bioinformatics. Her group has made pivotal contributions to the characterization of HIV-antibody co-evolution and the development of broadly neutralizing antibodies. This work has helped lay the groundwork for the rational design of HIV vaccines. In response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, her group quickly adapted their research platforms to study SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, and her team was the first to identify the immune-evasive nature of emerging variants. Moore has expanded her research portfolio to include Ebola, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus.