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Marc K. Jenkins
Marc K. Jenkins is an American Immunologist. He is a Regents Professor at the University of Minnesota and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Education and Career
Jenkins received his B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Minnesota in 1980. He completed his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology in 1985 from Northwestern University and then conducted postdoctoral training in the Laboratory of Immunology at the National Institutes of Health from 1985-1988. In 1988, Jenkins joined the Microbiology Department at the University of Minnesota (UMN) where he is now a Regents Professor and Director of the UMN Center for Immunology. He conducts immunology research on antigen-specific helper T cells and B cells. He has received the Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences Award, the American Association of Immunologists Meritorious Career and Lifetime Achievement Awards and is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Research Achievements
His group at the University of Minnesota was one of the first to discover that CD28 provides the second signal to human CD4 + T cells. His group also showed that antigen-specific CD4 + T cells first become activated in the central part of lymph nodes, then migrate to B cell-rich follicles and non-lymphoid organs, and documented the cellular changes that produce immune memory. These discoveries can be found in immunology textbooks and provided and spurred many studies by other investigators.

His current studies seek to understand the mechanisms of CD4 + T cell activation, memory cell formation, and immune protection, with the ultimate goal of using basic immunology discoveries to make better vaccines and prevent unwanted immune responses such as transplant rejection and autoimmunity.

Awards and Honors
Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences, 2020

Lifetime Achievement Award, American Association of Immunologists, 2020

University of Minnesota Regents Professor, 2018

Carole J. Bland Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award, 2017

Deans Distinguished Research Lecturer, 2015

Senior Investigator Award, University of Minnesota Medical School, 2011

Academy for Excellence in Health Research, University of Minnesota AHC, 2004

Award for Outstanding Contributions to Post-baccalaureate, 2003

Distinguished McKnight University Professor Award, 2002