Faculty & Scientific Staff

Dr. Byrd earned a bachelor’s degree in genetics from the University of Georgia and a doctorate in bioinformatics from Boston University through a National Institutes of Health partnership program. Her doctoral research examined the skin microbiome in health and disease, sparking a long-standing interest in how the microbes that live in and on the body interact with the immune system. Following her graduate training, she joined Genentech as a principal investigator in the cancer immunology department, where she studied patient samples to better understand how gut microbes influence responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Focused on how the microbiome shapes the human immune system and influences responses to therapy, Dr. Byrd’s research sits at the intersection of data science and immunology. Guided by a human-first philosophy and a strong commitment to scientific rigor and reproducibility, she collaborates closely with clinicians and researchers to translate discoveries from real-world clinical data into actionable insights that can inform more precise and effective treatments for people living with immune system diseases.