Chrystal M. Paulos, PhD, is the David H. Lawson, MD Professor for Cancer Research at Emory University and a tenured Professor in the Departments of Surgery and Microbiology & Immunology. She serves as Director of Translational Research in Cutaneous Malignancies and Co-Leader of the Cancer Immunology Program at the Winship Cancer Institute. She completed her postdoctoral training with Carl June at the University of Pennsylvania during the early development of adoptive T cell therapy. Her research focuses on advancing next-generation cellular immunotherapies for solid tumors, including engineered TCR and CAR T cell therapies, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies, and strategies leveraging CD4 T cell subsets such as Th17 cells and resident memory T cells to enhance the durability of antitumor responses. Her work bridges fundamental immunology with early-phase clinical translation and supports combination immunotherapy trials integrating adoptive cell therapy with checkpoint blockade and related immuno-oncology approaches. She has mentored numerous trainees who now lead independent research programs in academia and translational medicine.