How do vaccines work? How long do they last? And can we make them better? These questions form the basis of the research undertaken by Dr Emma Grant who studies immune responses towards viruses.

Using blood from volunteer donors taken before and after vaccination or infection, she looks at how the immune response works. She determines which immune cells are being activated after vaccination and infection, and how long these immune cells last in our blood stream. She also looks at which parts of the virus the immune cells are responding to the best, as they may be good parts of the virus to include in future vaccines.

Emma completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2015 and has since worked at Cardiff University in the UK, and Monash and La Trobe Universities in Australia, supported by research Fellowships. As a mum to a young daughter, she is passionate about inclusivity in science and academia, and advocates for a "family friendly" workplace where individuals who work part-time or keep more conventional working hours, have equal access to opportunities, networking and social events and are not disadvantaged due to their role as a carer to children or elderly individuals.