Marcia Haigis, PhD

Marcia C. Haigis is a Professor in the Department of Cell Biology, co-Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging Research, and co-Director of the Bertarelli Rare Cancer Initiative at Harvard Medical School. She is a co-leader of the Aging and Immunity Program of the Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin and performed postdoctoral studies at MIT studying mitochondrial metabolism. Dr. Haigis is an active member of the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, an Affiliate of the Broad Institute, a member of the Ludwig Center at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Haigis has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of how mitochondria contribute to human health and diseases of aging. Her pioneering studies identified ways that mitochondria utilize fuels and signal in to support cell proliferation, pivotal in immune cell activation. Research in the Haigis laboratory has also led to a deeper appreciation and mechanistic understanding of how metabolites in the tumor microenvironment regulate T cell effector functions. Most recently, her work has shed light on our understanding of how diet, age, and obesity regulate anti-tumor immunity.  Dr. Haigis is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Brookdale Leadership in Aging Award, the Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar Award, the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award, the National Academy of Medicine Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Program. She is the recipient of the 2023 Samsung Ho-Am Prize in Medicine. Dr. Haigis was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2024. Dr. Haigis serves on numerous academic and for-profit scientific advisory boards.