Leonid Pobezinsky, associate professor of veterinary and animal sciences in the College of Natural Sciences, has been named the winner of the 2026 Armstrong Fund for Science Award for his work on memory T cells. 

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The Armstrong Fund for Science was established to encourage faculty at UMass Amherst to pursue research that has a significant likelihood of major science impact and seeks to support researchers willing to challenge conventions in their field. Made possible through the generosity of John and Elizabeth Armstrong and administered by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement, the fund was created in 2006 with the belief that “major scientific advances in society can be achieved by supporting researchers with bold vision, documented credentials, and a passion for results.”

“Our laboratory studies the differentiation of killer T cells, which are critical for the elimination of infected and cancerous cells,” says Pobezinsky. “Specifically, the Armstrong Award will support efforts to characterize and further investigate the function of a novel subpopulation of killer T cells that we recently discovered in our laboratory.” 

Because memory T cells are crucial for protecting an organism against repeated infections and cancer, the failure to generate immunological memory weakens immune responses and nullifies the beneficial effects of vaccines and cancer immunotherapies. 

Challenging the long-standing dogma that the programming of memory lineage begins after the initiation of immune response, Pobezinsky instead proposes that a specific population of T cells is committed to memory differentiation even before immune response. He aims to investigate the origin of this unique population and its role in response to infection and cancer – research that has the potential to fundamentally change the way immunologists view how memory cells are formed and can provide the basis for new treatments.

More information about Pobezinsky’s research can be found on the Pobezinsky Lab website. More information about the Armstrong Fund for Science program, including application information, can be found on the Research and Engagement website.