Biology
Graduation Date:
HIV research, CNS Alumni of the Year 2023
Tae-Wook Chun, Ph. D.
Dr. Tae-Wook Chun '92 has had a profound impact on millions of people throughout the world, improving the lives of those living with HIV through his groundbreaking HIV-treatment research. Today, he is the chief of the HIV Immunovirology Section Research Group at the Laboratory of Immunoregulation (LIR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
After graduating from CSUSB with a bachelor's degree in biology, Chun earned a Ph.D. from the Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology Graduate Program at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He conducted his postdoctoral research work in the LIR under Dr. Anthony Fauci at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the NIH.
In 2023, Chun received the prestigious Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Award from the Clinical Research Foundation for advancements in antibody-based therapy for HIV-infected individuals. He was also named the 2022-23 College of Natural Sciences Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. He is a member of the Inaugural Alumni Hall of Fame Paw Print.