Dr Meghan Morrissey’s research uses cell and synthetic biology to uncover basic principles of macrophage signalling with an eye toward designing new therapeutics. Macrophages, key effectors of the innate immune system, protect the body by phagocytosing harmful targets while robustly ignoring healthy cells. Macrophages measure and integrate the signals they encounter to decide what to eat. These signals also tell macrophages if they should adjust their appetite, and what information to relay other immune cells. The mechanistic insight from our studies is critical for immunoengineering, or controlled activation of the immune system. We are particularly interested in how to control macrophage signalling during cancer therapy. Dr Morrissey is an Assistant Professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. Prior to joining UCSB in 2020, Dr Morrissey was a postdoctoral fellow at University of California San Francisco in Ron Vale’s lab. She obtained her PhD from Duke University in 2015 and her BS from the University of Notre Dame in 2009.