An internationally recognized expert on vaccine and antibody-based product development,[2][3][4] Mascola has led biomedical research efforts targeting a wide breadth of viral pathogens for more than 30 years.

[8] He completed a residency in internal medicine at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego and a fellowship in infectious diseases at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, followed by a fellowship in retroviral diseases at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR).

[10][11] Mascola joined the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) in 2000 as a founding investigator and Principal Deputy Director.

[28] Mascola’s laboratory[1] research focused on rational design approaches to produce effective vaccine and antibody products to prevent and treat infectious diseases.

His laboratory also studies how the immune system generates protective antibody responses against viruses and other infectious pathogens.