Gokul Swaminathan received his Ph.D. degree in microbiology & immunology from Drexel University. At Drexel, he uncovered the interplay between innate immune receptors, non-coding RNAs, HIV-1 infection. For his post-doctoral work, Dr. Swaminathan joined Merck Research Laboratories and trained at the vaccines division at Merck & Co. Inc, West Point, PA. After 2 years of post-doc work, he accepted a senior scientist position within the same group at Merck, West Point. While at Merck WP, Gokul was focused on uncovering the mode-of-action of novel lipid nanoparticle (LNP) based vaccine formulations in the context of viral infections and immuno-oncology. In 2016, Gokul transitioned into a new role at the new Merck Exploratory Science Center (ESC) in Cambridge, MA, where he is currently a principal scientist in the investigational biology group. At the Cambridge ESC, he leads innovative clinical & pre-clinical programs aimed at understanding the influence of the microbiome on the host immune system.