David Peeler is a nanomaterial immunoengineer studying how drug delivery vehicles shape innate immune responses to the next generation of nucleic acid therapies. He is launching the Biomaterial Research for Immunomodulation, Drug delivery, and Genetic Engineering (BRIDGE) lab in January 2026 in the Department of Bioengineering at the Knight Campus. His team will apply polymer chemistry, pharmaceutical science, and materials science fundamentals in the pursuit of immunology questions and answers. By bridging barriers to delivery, the lab will translate safer, more potent vaccines and immunotherapies for infectious disease, cancer, and regenerative medicine.
During his postdoc in the labs of professors Dame Molly Stevens and Robin Shattock at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London, Peeler worked on 3D-printed protein vaccine delivery systems, saRNA vaccine manufacturing scale-up, and adjuvanted antiviral and antibacterial RNA vaccines. Prior to moving to the UK in 2020, he received his PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Washington under the guidance of professors Suzie Pun and Drew Sellers in collaboration with Patrick Stayton, where he used controlled polymerization techniques to engineer nucleic acid and cancer vaccine delivery systems. His earliest research experiences were at the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, and the US Food and Drug Administration.
NOTE: Please reach out by email if you're interested in joining the team as an undergraduate/PhD student! At this moment the lab is only able to support postdoctoral applicants with external funding. Check back for more job opportunities in the future.