Laura Mackay

Laura K. Mackay is an internationally-recognised immunologist and Professor of Immunology at the University of Melbourne. Mackay is the Theme Leader in Immunology and Laboratory Head at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. In 2022, she was the youngest ever Fellow elected to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

Early life and education
Mackay completed her undergraduate degree in Biological Science at the University of Warwick in 2004, Masters of Science at the University of Birmingham in 2005 and PhD under the supervision of Professor Alan B. Rickinson, an expert in the research of Epstein-Barr virus in 2009. She undertook postdoctoral training with Professor Francis Carbone at The University of Melbourne. During this period, she was the first to describe the molecular program and developmental features that underpin immune cell tissue residence.

Career and Research
Mackay established her research Laboratory at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne in 2016. She was appointed as Senior Lecturer in 2016, Associate-Professor in 2018, and full Professor in 2019. Mackay is also the Theme Leader in Immunology for the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. She has made significant contributions to the field of T cell memory and tissue immunity, with Mackay being listed as a Highly Cited Researcher™ annually since 2019.

In 2018, Mackay was appointed as the President of The Federation of Immunological Sciences of Asia-Oceania (FIMSA). During her tenure, Mackay was the first female and youngest serving President of the organisation.

In 2022, Mackay was the youngest ever Fellow elected to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, with the citation on election describing her as “an internationally recognised expert in T cell immunity, contributing landmark papers that have defined how memory T cell responses are generated in body tissues”.

Scientific Outreach
Mackay serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards for journals Cell, Science Immunology and Trends in Immunology. She is the co-organiser of Global Immunotalks, an online seminar series posted on YouTube featuring world-leading immunologists presenting cutting-edge research, which aims to make the newest discoveries accessible to a global audience. Mackay is also a co-host on National Triple R Radio science show, Einstein-A-Go-Go, communicating science and the latest research to the public. Mackay has been interviewed by Science on diversity in STEM, ABC Radio National Science Show on the influence of science on public good, and had her career and research on tissue-resident memory T cells profiled by Pursuit.

Awards, honours and recognition

 * 2023 – AAMRI Rising Star Award
 * 2023 – Jian Zhou Medal
 * 2023 – LEO Foundation Award (Region Asia-Pacific)
 * 2022 – Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences
 * 2019 – Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
 * 2019 – Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher
 * 2019 – Woodward Medal in Science and Technology
 * 2019 – Gottschalk Medal
 * 2018 – Michelson Prize for Human Immunology and Vaccine Research
 * 2016 – Tall Poppy Award from Australian Institute of Policy and Science