Herschhorn Lab Researcher Receives Top Fellowship for Work on HIV-1 Vaccines

Shamim Ahmed, a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, has received the 2025–26 Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship from the University of Minnesota. He is a researcher and PhD candidate at the Medical School, working under the mentorship of Dr. Alon Herschhorn, whose research focuses on HIV-1 infection latency, vaccine development, and eradication.

Ahmed’s research in the Herschhorn Lab uses mRNA-lipid nanoparticle technology, similar to that used in COVID-19 vaccines, to develop new HIV-1 vaccine candidates. With Dr. Herschhorn’s guidance, he is testing different vaccine strategies in models designed to mimic human immune responses.

The fellowship highlights Ahmed’s promising work and also recognizes Dr. Herschhorn’s role in leading innovative research and mentoring future scientists in the fight against HIV.