PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Derya Unutmaz

Derya Unutmaz is an immunologist whose work on human T cells now includes AI-assisted research. He earned his medical degree at Marmara University, trained in Switzerland, joined Vanderbilt's faculty in 1999, and moved to NYU in 2006 before joining The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in 2014. He holds a UConn School of Medicine appointment and highlighted AI-generated digital twins at a 2025 UConn-JAX symposium. In 2025, he received the OpenAI Scientist Award; in November 2025, GPT-5 Pro predicted a CAR-T response that his team validated internally; as of October 2026, he is a professor at The Jackson Laboratory and UConn.

Now at
Jackson Laboratory and University of Connecticut
Works
240
Citations
23,548
h-index
67

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1991

    Medical school and immunology training

    He earns his M.D. at Marmara University Medical School and moves to Switzerland in 1991 for training in Novartis's immunology department in Basel.

  2. 1999

    Vanderbilt faculty

    He joins Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as assistant professor of microbiology and immunology in 1999, then rises to associate professor.

  3. 2006

    NYU School of Medicine

    In 2006, he moves to New York University School of Medicine as associate professor of microbiology and adds appointments in medicine and pathology.

  4. 2014

    Professor at JAX Genomic Medicine

    He joins The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine as professor in 2014 and studies human T-cell mechanisms in HIV infection and chronic inflammatory disease.

  5. 2023

    A UConn appointment

    In 2023, he holds a position at UConn School of Medicine and works at a Jackson Laboratory institute in Connecticut.

  6. May 2025

    Digital twins for medicine

    At the May 2025 UConn-JAX symposium, he highlights digital twins, AI-generated models of human physiology that could help researchers simulate individual patient responses.

  7. 2025

    GPT-5 and an OpenAI award

    In 2025, he receives the OpenAI Scientist Award. In November 2025, he reports that GPT-5 Pro predicts a brief 2-DG pulse during CAR-T generation will enhance cytotoxicity toward target cancer cell lines; his team validates that prediction internally.

  8. As of October 2026

    Professor at JAX and UConn

    As of October 2026, he is a professor at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine and an affiliated professor at UConn. His lab studies human T-cell differentiation, activation and regulation for immune responses to infectious diseases and changes during chronic disease and aging.

Career

  1. Since 2023University of ConnecticutAffiliated Professor
  2. Since 2014Jackson LaboratoryProfessor
  3. 2006–2014New York UniversityAssociate Professor
  4. 1999–2007Vanderbilt UniversityAssistant Professor, then Associate Professor

Education

  1. 1991Marmara UniversityM.D.

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. Identification of a major co-receptor for primary isolates of HIV-11996 · Nature · 3,643 citations
  2. In Vivo Depletion of CD11c+ Dendritic Cells Abrogates Priming of CD8+ T Cells by Exogenous Cell-Associated Antigens2002 · Immunity · 1,774 citations
  3. The differentiation of human TH-17 cells requires transforming growth factor-β and induction of the nuclear receptor RORγt2008 · Nature Immunology · 1,291 citations
  4. Requirement for RORγ in Thymocyte Survival and Lymphoid Organ Development2000 · Science · 736 citations
  5. Recruitment of HIV and Its Receptors to Dendritic Cell-T Cell Junctions2003 · Science · 707 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

  1. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers rose from 2% to 32%Includes University of Connecticut. We estimate where leading AI researchers worked when their most-cited papers appeared. The company share rose from 2% in 1975–1979 to 32% in 2020–2024.
  2. Stanford University trained or employed 20 of the 89 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes New York University. Stanford University trained or employed 20 of the 89 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and employment links for major-prize and best-paper winners.
  3. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes New York University. Our estimates of combined and median h-index at AI organizations, using current affiliations and OpenAlex records.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes New York University. Our estimates of where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led, from education records in cited biographies.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. Immunologist, HIV expert Derya Unutmaz, M.D., joins Jackson Laboratory faculty jax.org. Checked 19 October 2026.
  2. Bağışıklık Sistemi ve Sentetik Biyoloji tibbinustalari.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  3. Inaugural UConn-JAX symposium showcases the power of AI to transform medicine and biomedical research jax.org. Checked 19 October 2026.
  4. Early science acceleration experiments with GPT-5 arxiv.org. Checked 19 October 2026.
  5. Webrazzi AI 2026'nın ilk konuşmacıları belli oldu! webrazzi.com. Checked 19 October 2026.
  6. Derya Unutmaz | ARDD 2026 agingpharma.org. Checked 19 October 2026.
  7. The Unutmaz Lab jax.org. Checked 19 October 2026.