Gladstone Scientist Nadia Roan Elected to American Academy of Microbiology

Nadia Roan, PhD, a senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes and a pioneer in the fight against some of the world’s most persistent viruses, has been elected as a 2026 Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.

This honor places Roan among an elite group of the world’s most influential scientists within the American Society for Microbiology. Out of 145 global nominations this year, she was one of 63 experts chosen for her record of scientific achievement and original contributions to the field of microbiology.

“Academy Fellows are leaders in their field whose work influences the direction of scientific discovery and its role in society,” said Vanessa Sperandio, PhD, chair of the Academy Governors. “Election to the Academy is a significant professional milestone, and I am delighted to welcome Nadia Roan as a member of the 2026 Cohort.”

Roan, who also serves as a professor of urology at UC San Francisco, joined Gladstone as an investigator in 2020, after having served as a visiting scientist since 2012.

“I’m beyond honored to join the American Academy of Microbiology’s 2026 Fellowship Class and to be part of an esteemed group of scientists who are changing the course of human health,” Roan says.

“Nadia’s work holds transformative potential for curing HIV/AIDS.”

Melanie Ott, MD, PhD

Using and further developing technologies that allow her to track the immune system one cell at a time, Roan identifies cells that HIV prefers to infect and cells where the virus hides in individuals on antiretroviral therapy. Over the years, her work has broadened to encompass the immune response to COVID-19 and role of immune cells in female fertility and infertility. 

“Nadia’s work holds transformative potential for curing HIV/AIDS,” says Melanie Ott, MD, PhD, director of the Gladstone Infectious Disease Institute and a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology since 2017. “She is also a leading expert in Long COVID and a passionate advocate for women’s health research. Her deep expertise in immunology, combined with cutting-edge single-cell analysis and strong integration with human studies, is opening the door to innovative strategies to prevent—and potentially cure—devastating infectious diseases.”

The 2026 Fellowship Class brings a wealth of knowledge of the microbial sciences with representation across the globe. The 63 fellows hail from 14 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Israel, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.

The American Society for Microbiology is one of the largest professional societies dedicated to the life sciences and is composed of over 38,000 scientists and health practitioners. Its mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications, educational opportunities, and advocacy efforts. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources.