Mary E. Brunkow

Mary Elizabeth Brunkow
Brunkow at the U.S. Embassy Sweden Nobel Laureate reception.
Born1961 (age 64–65)
EducationUniversity of Washington (BS)
Princeton University (PhD)
Known forFOXP3
AwardsNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2025)
Scientific career
FieldsImmunology
Molecular biology
InstitutionsInstitute for Systems Biology
Celltech R&D
ThesisExpression and function of the H19 gene in transgenic mice (1991)
Doctoral advisorShirley M. Tilghman

Mary Elizabeth Brunkow (born 1961) is an American molecular biologist, immunologist and Nobel Prize laureate. She is known for co-identifying the gene later named FOXP3 as the cause of the scurfy mouse phenotype, a finding that became foundational for modern regulatory T cell biology.

In 2025, she was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for their work in peripheral immune tolerance.