The Remarkable Nilabh Shastri: Voices of his students, mentees, and colleagues

Abstract

This article honors the memory of Nilabh Shastri by recounting the messages sent to him by his friend and colleagues. In addition to his obvious gifts as a scientist, he was a treasured mentor, colleague and friend who enriched the lives of those he touched.

1. Introduction

The world lost a first-rate human being and scientist with the death of Nilabh Shastri in January 2021. Nilabh obtained his PhD in India and came to the USA in the early 1980s to postdoc with Eli Sercarz and then Lee Hood. Starting as an Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley in 1987, as he climbed the academic ranks he became a legendary teacher and chairperson until moving to Johns Hopkins in 2018.

Nilabh was among the very best scientists I have had the privilege of knowing. His work on the origins of MHC peptide ligands dovetailed nearly perfectly with my interests, which gave me an inside view of its rigor, creativity, and importance. As a human being, he was, quite simply, a prince. His million-dollar smile was an accurate advertisement for a sunny, funny, and warm individual with a luminescent mind.

Nilabh was cherished as a teacher, mentor, and colleague. A number of online and published tributes (Cresswell, 2021; Hammer et al., 2021) detail his myriad contributions to science and scientists. Rather than repeat these in this remembrance, I have tapped a remarkable collection of video messages sent to Nilabh in late December 2020 by some of those whose lives he touched. I have excerpted this living oral testimony, verbatim where possible, for others with minor modifications in the interest in grammar, context, and brevity.

I’ve grouped the comments into four sources with unique perspectives of Nilabh. Hoodlums; the self-anointed name of the students and post-docs trained in the Hood lab at Cal Tech in the 1980s who knew Nilabh as a post-doc. UC Berkeley students; mentees and postdocs who knew Nilabh as a mentor and teacher. U C Berkeley faculty; fellow Professors who knew Nilabh as a colleague. Antigen processing and presentation (APP) scientists; colleagues who knew Nilabh as a founding member of the field and the original principal organizer of the cherished international APP workshops, which will continue in his memory.

2. Messages to Nilabh

2.1. Hoodlums

2.1.1. Lee Hood

I wanted to say how proud I’ve been of you. Your science has been absolutely spectacular in molecular immunology.

2.1.2. Rich Barth

When you came to the Hood lab, you performed a minor miracle. You got me interested in immunology. And you didn’t do it in a direct way. You did it by simply talking about what your work was, why you were doing it, why you thought it was important. That had a major influence on me, it really drew me in and changed the course of my research.

2.1.3. Kurt Borson

You were a key part of the Hoodlums, an intellectual powerhouse who drove the group. I looked up to you as a mentor who helped me and kept me sane.

2.1.4. Joan Kobori

You taught me T cell immunology with enthusiasm and excitement. I appreciated your precise analytical approach to everything in the lab. You were generous and kind to everyone, and supportive of your lab mates. I’ll always remember your infectious smile and twinkle in your eye. You had a strong impact on many Hoodlums.

2.1.5. Mitch Kronenberg

I don’t know if I’ve ever told you how much I admire your work and your scientific output. I use your papers for teaching. Not only is the work elegant and important, you also invented new tools to study antigen presentation, not the rote methods that other people have used. This is an important way to teach graduate students how to use biology to make progress in science. Talking science with you was such a pleasure, although I had to concentrate hard to keep up with what you were saying! I’ll never forget getting up at 3 in the morning with you to see the salmon and tuna at the Tokyo fish market.

2.1.6. John Frelinger

It always was a treat to meet you and talk science. There are really many smart scientists, but very few who have your gifts of clarity of thought and originality. After I see your work, I wonder how did you come up with that? It’s that out-of-the-box thinking that separates your work. Creativity is the greatest compliment that you can give to a scientist, and you have it. You always listened to my ideas and gave thoughtful insights that I did not think of and could mull over. The most important thing you gave me is that science should be fun; the true excitement and joy of it, why we got into it in the first place.

2.1.7. Bernard Malissen

Because you were trained as a chemist you are a very precise guy, which is unusual in cellular biology, and you combine it with elegance. For all your career, you are making beautiful contributions to the field of antigen processing.

2.1.8. Jerry Siu

Thanks to you, there are many immunologists worldwide who have a great day in front of them!

2.1.9. Martha Zuniga

I miss your wonderful voice. It is a welcoming caress, its musicality and lilt and always invited me to hear more. Your enthusiasm for life makes anything and everything seem possible. Your fundamental contributions to immunology are now in textbooks. Your scientific insights are matched by your ability to bring out the best in your students and colleagues. And you’re so generous, so encouraging, so ready to give credit to others. Your humility and kindness have only grown with the widespread recognition of your many accomplishments. You always have supported and promoted your students in myriad ways, you’ve always put them first. Thank you for gracing my life.

3. U C Berkeley students and post-docs

3.1. Nathalie Brouwenstij Shastri lab post-doc

What was most striking was the atmosphere you set in your lab where there was laughter and fun and people were focused and working hard and helping each other. I had a wonderful time and learned so many things. It was hard to return to the Netherlands! You represent a gold standard of how scientists should work and be, you stimulated people to work up to their potential. I remember your wit and humor.

3.2. Gretchen Diehl PhD immunology student

Your lab was my first rotation. From day one, you provided guidance on not only how to do the best science but also how to make sure people cared about the science I was doing. Your unique and enviable gift in explaining science became even more apparent when I was TA-ing for you. Your dedication to teaching was inspiring, and although you made it look easy, I know how much work you put into to it, making sure that the students understood the magic of the immune system. You showed it was possible to be a scientist and an educator at the same time. I still have no idea how you remembered all those faces and names!

3.3. Kristi Geiger PhD immunology student

I wanted to share my deep gratitude and appreciation. You really inspired me and helped me grow as a scientist. You’ve been an amazing mentor. You bring joy to everything you create and do.

3.4. Andrea Itano PhD immunology student

You were patient with the students, you took time to explain things, you really enjoyed the personal interaction of teaching. The year you won the distinguished award at Berkeley (2000) you said “a guru is one of the most revered individuals in Indian society, a personal instructor reserved for royalty: I believe that students at Berkeley deserve no less”. It’s clear you’ve achieved guru status. You’ve influenced so many over the years, your graduate students, undergraduates, colleagues.

3.5. Chansu Park, Shastri lab current PhD student

I am always proud you are my mentor. You show me how a good person can be a good mentor. Your positive and insightful comments have inspired me, I will carry your teaching for the rest of my life. I’ve really enjoyed chasing the rainbow with you.

3.6. Joe Sun, undergraduate

You should know that you are the scientist and immunologist who has inspired me for longer than anyone else. I was a junior at Cal when I first met you, without much direction in my career. After your immunology course, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. You made the Janeway textbook come to life. I am among the many undergrads you have inspired to go on to research and to study the immune system. To this day whenever I don’t feel like teaching students, I think of you, and I am reminded that I should take teaching seriously. Just like you, I might be able to inspire young scientists in the way that I was inspired 25 years ago when I took your course. Few can blend brilliance with humility like you have throughout your entire career.

4. U C Berkeley Faculty

4.1. Greg Barton

I consider you a critical part of my success at Berkeley. In shaping immunology at Berkeley as one of the founding members of the program you deserve a lot of the credit, and that will be one of your legacies. We’re going to give the third Nilabh Shastri Immunology award this Spring to an undergraduate, and we think of you whenever we do that. Your dedication to teaching is famous here still.

4.2. Gloria Brar

Your smile and warmth and support every time I see you always makes me so happy. I appreciate you so much as a person and colleague.

4.3. Laurent Coscoy

I wanted to tell you how much I’ve appreciated your mentorship, your unconditional support and your friendship since my arrival to Berkeley. You’ve had a strong influence always for the best on how I interact with my students.

4.4. Terry Machen

I most appreciated your wonderful presence. Your intellect, strength of character, warmth and kindness is amazing.

4.5. Dave Raulet

Your science has been spectacular; it shows tremendous creative flair. You develop cool elegant techniques and approaches to make deep insights into basic science. You’ve always given me thoughtful small gifts. Tea and marmalade, I remember in particular, reminded me of my time in Pakistan as a child. I’ve been told many times that students have been motivated to go into immunology because of your teaching. You exemplify what it takes to be successful in science, aside from the smarts and the capabilities, it’s your love of science.

4.6. Ellen Robey

How much I appreciate you as a colleague and a friend. When I first came to Berkeley you were so supportive and such a great mentor to me.

4.7. Mark Schlissel

You served on the thesis committee of many of my students. You were always imposing rigor and the highest of standards. You really helped everybody to be the best scientist they can be. You were the anchor of what I considered to be the best university-based immunology department in the country.

4.8. Randy Shekman

We were together as colleagues for the entire history of the MCB department at Berkeley. What a gentle kind soul you are to people. Quite unusual compared to the aggressive style we are used to.

4.9. Dave Weisblat

You give me optimism that somebody with an inherent gentle spirit can succeed in science.

4.10. Astar Winoto

I also learned your style of teaching. Every year, like you, I try to learn the name and faces of all 100–120 students. I also use the blackboard as much as I can, like you. The students love it.

5. APP colleagues

5.1. Luis Anton

You deserve deep thanks for organizing the APP meetings. I remember that very first meeting in Ventura, California, which is the best meeting I have ever been to. The never-ending sessions, sometimes chaotic, but so exciting that no one cared they were never-ending. I have marveled at your papers, always exciting, always with a new innovation, a new trick to get to the heart of the matter, combined with such rigor. Your discoveries are a huge part of the APP field and beyond that, of course. It is remarkable to meet such an accomplished scientist who is so kind, warm, willing to help, provide reagents knowledge and wise advice.

5.2. Janice Blum

The first APP conference you and Eli organized, you brought us together. We developed great collaborations and many lifelong friendships. Thank you for that. You always inspired me at meetings. Particularly in the way that you credited your trainees and the people you worked with. You told us the stories behind the innovative work that your team did but also the contributions that your trainees made. And that also struck me as a noble and important part of our job as scientists. At meetings, you always asked trainees from different laboratories great questions. You highlighted the importance of their work and probably made their day!

5.3. Louise Boyle

You have this amazing ability to inspire people, to give helpful suggestions and words of encouragement in a selfless manner. You’ve influenced immunology in more ways than you know. To me, your biggest influence is the way you make PhD students, post-docs and young scientists feel important and their contributions valued. One day I will return to Hawaii and will learn how to surf, and will think of you when I do this!

5.4. Raul Castano

I fondly remember your warm, kind, fun figure, always willing to interact with everybody.

5.5. Pete Cresswell

You are one of the most creative scientists that I’ve ever known. I’ve always been amazed at how you find clever ways to solve problems. That kind of legacy is all than anyone can really hope for in this business. People will look back and know the things we’ve done and achieved, even if our names aren’t necessarily remembered. It’s impossible for me to overstate how valuable I view your contributions to the APP field.

5.6. Lisa Denzen

There’s a lot to learn from you, not only about APP, but about how one should live their life. One of my favorite things about you is your dedication to teaching the future scientists in this world. You are a brilliant teacher; I’ve often watched your lectures and learned from them and then used them for my own lectures. In research, you tackle the hard question and conquer it. You’ve left a huge mark on antigen presentation. You’ve left a huge mark as a scientist and a person.

5.7. Laurence Eisenlohr

The combination of precision and creativity in your science is unparalleled.

5.8. Jeff Frelinger

You’ve always had the ability to find interesting off-the-wall projects to do and be successful at. I admire your ability to stick to those things and make really difficult projects work

5.9. Marcus Groettrup

Throughout my career, student, post-doc, and PI, I have read your fascinating papers and have discussed them at group meetings. I have admired your science, creativity, independent thinking and am thankful for your technical innovations. You have sent us such valuable reagents! I am so grateful for your support.

5.10. Cliff Harding

I’ve enjoyed your passion for science since I first met you. You always had great fundamental scientific questions, spurred discussions at meetings. I had a lot of fun talking science with you. I’ve always admired your research, which has been so innovative and fundamental. One of my favorite memories is when we went surfing together at the AAI meeting in Hawaii. I won’t comment on how well we did (!), but we both had a lot of fun, and I enjoyed doing it very much.

5.11. Bill Heath

What a great guy you are. One of the friendliest people in immunology and a wonderful scientist.

5.12. Anne Hosmalin

Thank you for creating the APP workshop. They have been a highlight in our lives, and you have created a family around the world. Thank you for your elegance in science and in human interactions.

5.13. Sebastian Joyce

I’ve often used your work in my lab as an example of how to do science. Your papers will be read for a long time. I feel privileged and honored to have you walk through my career with me.

5.14. Paul Lehner

You’ve always been incredibly supportive and kind and wise.

5.15. Lonnie Lybarger

You’ve always been an inspiration to me. You’re one of the most creative scientists I know. You’ve come up with amazing ingenious ways to answer questions. I admire the way you think. I presented so many of your papers for journal clubs and classes. I appreciate your mentorship.

5.16. Benedicte Manoury

I would like to thank you for being such an inspiring, creative and elegant scientist. I’ve learned so much from you. You are a wise man who brings a degree of real scientific rigor to any paper, any subject, any meeting.

5.17. David Margulies

What has always impressed me about your work is your ability to not just look for the expected result and find it but rather to take the unexpected result and push it and find something completely new. I really want to remark about you as a gentle, thorough and perceptive grant reviewer, one who tries to understand the applicant’s needs as well as the application itself.

5.18. Jim McCluskey

Like many, I’m completely in awe of your brilliance as a scientist and the amazing contributions you’ve made to our field. That’s been combined with true modestly as a human being. I’ve admired your impish sense of humor, cheeky and dry at the same time.

5.19. Andrew McMichael

It was wonderful honor when you came to do a sabbatical in my lab. Your contribution to antigen processing had been legendary and still is. It was brilliant to have you around talking and discussing, it was a wonderful time, and terrific fun.

5.20. Betsy Mellins

My first graduate student at Penn was an undergraduate at U C Berkeley. When I asked her how she chose immunology, she said that it was Nilabh Shastri’s class that inspired her. I’m sure that there are lots of others who would say the same: that your work has inspired them, that the rigor and beauty of your work will influence people for many years to come.

5.21. Chris Norbury

You’re one of the few people whose papers I can just look at and tell my students or post docs, “you should read that, you’re going to learn some really cool techniques, and it’s almost certainly going to turn out to be right”!

5.22. Philippe Pierre

When I think about you I think about your smile. I see your picture and your good humor, enjoying science, and more importantly, your kindness. You are a mentor for me, even if you didn’t know it, I really admire your work.

5.23. Shiv Pillai

You shaped my scientific life. The memory of it goes back 40 years ago (in India) when we met at a dinner. What you said and did next in life is what influenced my life decisions. You have been such a great influence for so many people, and especially me.

5.24. Malini Raghavan

Your contributions to the field are not replaceable. Not just the science, but also the mentorship and the incredible grounded presence in the room at meetings. I want to express my gratitude for your mentorship and support and your balanced insights, and most of all, for your friendship.

5.25. Ken Rock

Your science is inventive, incredibly well done, and high impact. Your papers are some of the few that don’t get destroyed when we discuss them in journal club! They serve as models for how to do and describe science for our trainees.

5.26. Sebastian Springer

You’ve made a real impact on my scientific life. I remember your kindness and wit and generosity. At the end, the only thing that really counts is kindness; in that respect, you are one of my heroes. Thank you.

5.27. Pramod Srivastava

I’ve always admired how you’ve chosen very difficult problems and have gone the distance in solving them. Creating the tools to solve them, tools that we all used, creating the ideas to solve them, and having trained wonderful people.

5.28. John Trowsdale

You’ve shown great warmth and humanity, it’s provided a fantastic example for everyone to follow.

5.29. Benoit van Den Eynde

I’ve always admired your original mind, your creativity, but also your kindness and the friendly way that you envisaged the scientific debate, which I consider a model for my students.

5.30. Jose Villandangos

You were one of the pioneers in antigen processing who set up the landscape with questions to answer. Your love for this field was demonstrated by your initiation of the APP workshop. These meetings, which are a favorite of many in the field, are self-funded and are maintained by scientists who want to meet each other. You promoted an atmosphere of informality but seriousness, with scientific rigor openness to present new results.

5.31. Colin Watts

You are held in the very highest regard by your fellow scientists. What I greatly appreciated is the very thoughtful and clear way that you formulate questions and the extreme elegance of experimental strategies that you devised. I often read your papers and thought, I wish we’d thought of that or how we can use your approach. I remember when we took an afternoon off at AAI at Orlando and drove to the Kennedy Space Center and spent an amazing afternoon, and in Delhi, where you took 4 of us deep into the old city, where we saw fantastic things that we never would have seen without you.

5.32. Jon Yewdell

I’ve been inspired and guided by your remarkable papers. You are one of the few scientists I know who is both highly creative and rigorous. The bricks that you have put into the wall of knowledge will last for all generations of scientists to build on. That’s all we can ask as scientists.

6. The sum of the man

Nilabh’s professional life, as sketched by these moving testimonials, shows what’s possible as a scientist. Choose a difficult problem, stick at it for decades, and put every ounce of your creativity, knowledge and insight in doing original research with highest rigor. Approach life with optimism and enthusiasm that you share on a daily basis with all those around you. Treat teaching as a joyous responsibility, with the idea that everyone deserves a guru. Revel in the progress of your colleagues and review their papers strictly with the attitude of supporting and advancing the science. Make countless friends among your colleagues, mentees and students who will miss you dearly when your time is up.