Julius Stone Lecturer

Laura Mackay, PhD, University of Melbourne, Australia

Title: Diversity and Function of Skin-Resident Lymphocytes

Dr Laura Mackay completed her PhD from The University of Birmingham, UK (2009) and postdoctoral training with Dr Francis Carbone at The University of Melbourne (2009-2015). She is currently Professor and Immunology Theme Lead at The Peter Doherty Institute. She is a NHMRC Leadership Investigator, Dame Kate Campbell Fellow, HHMI International Scholar and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, recipient of Awards including The Prime Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year (Australia) and she is Past President of The Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia-Oceania (FIMSA). Dr Mackay’s research centers on immunological memory. Her work was instrumental in characterizing tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells and the molecular pathways that drive their development, and demonstrating the role of TRM cells in infection and cancer control. Her Laboratory focuses on the molecular regulation of tissue T cell generation and function, with a view to harness these cells for new immunotherapeutic strategies against disease.

About the Lecture:

The Julius Stone Lectureship is intended to promote the advancement of knowledge in immunology as its relates to the skin and skin disease.  The Lectureship is also intended to honor Dr. Julius Stone, whose great commitment to the application of new principles of immunology to the benefit of patients with skin disorders is recognized by this award.