A campus without walls

"The professors here are tops in their fields. If you have a question about an aspect of biology, one of your professors may be the leading expert in the subject."

Since his undergraduate days, Tshaka Cunningham wanted to research HIV. At the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center (ADARC), Tshaka studied the enzyme that allows HIV to enter the nucleus of a host cell and become integrated into its chromosomes.

"The tradition of clinical and basic science at ADARC provides access to clinical samples from a wide variety of patients," he says. "The interactive atmosphere at Rockefeller encourages collaboration with other laboratories on the main campus."

"At Rockefeller no one boxes you in as a scientist," notes Tshaka. "Student funding comes directly from the university. This gives you the freedom to change labs and to develop in your own way."

Now a postdoctoral fellow at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, Tshaka is focusing his research on dendritic cell cross-presentation of viral antigens, examining how viruses evolve to evade the immune system.