About
Jess Engel developed an interest in parasitology and immunology after a childhood spent living as an expat and travelling the globe. Her significant wanderlust drove her to Australia in 2013 from Germany to start her PhD at Griffith University, focused on malaria parasite biology and antimalarial drug discovery. Since joining QIMR Berghofer as a post-doctoral scientist in 2017, her research interests shifted to encompass immunology, with a particular emphasis on examining CD4+ T cell responses to infection. She uses genomic technologies, such as single cell RNA sequencing, and bioinformatics analyses to understand the sub-population structure and functions of CD4+ T cells during infection. Jess then uses this knowledge to improve anti-parasitic immune responses following infection, vaccination and drug treatment.