Rate My Professor Denise Doolan

Professor Denise Doolan is the Director of Research at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) at the University of Queensland, a role she assumed upon joining the institute in 2022. She leads the Immunology of Infectious Diseases research group, which specializes in developing novel immunotherapeutics, vaccines, and immunodiagnostics for complex pathogens that cause infectious and chronic diseases, with malaria serving as the primary model system. Her cross-disciplinary research program addresses host-pathogen immunity, antigen discovery, vaccine engineering, and biomarker discovery, employing state-of-the-art genome-based technologies, human models of disease, systems immunology, and multi-omics approaches to pinpoint novel targets for intervention and predict disease risk or protection. Previously, she held the positions of Deputy Director of the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM) and Director of the Centre for Molecular Therapeutics at James Cook University, where she advanced translational research in molecular immunology.

Doolan obtained her Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science with Honours in Biochemistry from The University of Queensland, a Master of Philosophy in Life Sciences from Griffith University, and a PhD in Molecular Immunology from The University of Queensland. As a globally recognized expert in malaria immunology, vaccinology, and omic-based strategies for therapeutics and diagnostics, she has authored over 200 publications, including highly influential works such as 'Acquired immunity to malaria' (Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 2009), 'Induction of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in humans by a malaria DNA vaccine' (Science, 1998), and 'Protection of Humans against Malaria by Immunization with Radiation-Attenuated Plasmodium falciparum Sporozoites' (The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2002). Her leadership extends to serving as President of the International Society for Vaccines (2021-2023) and as a member of the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (2021-2026). Notable honors include election as a Fellow of the International Society for Vaccines (2017) and Fellow of the Australian Society of Parasitology (2019). Active projects under her direction include NHMRC-funded next-generation therapeutics for malaria (2026-2030), an mRNA T-cell vaccine against malaria (2025-2026), development of a multi-antigen T-cell malaria vaccine (2024-2026), and EBV proteome screening for multiple sclerosis diagnosis (2024-2026). Her contributions have profoundly influenced vaccine development pipelines and global health strategies against infectious diseases.