Michelle Linterman received her PhD in Immunology from the Australian National University in Canberra, where she investigated a novel mechanism of immunological tolerance; a phenomenon by which the immune system fails to respond to an antigen. She is currently a Group Leader at the Babraham Institute and her principle research focus is on how the immune system responds to vaccination.
As an expert on the ageing immune system and vaccination, Michelle is a member of several wider networks. Locally, Michelle is a committee member of the Cambridge Immunology Network and she also works regularly with policy fellows at the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy. In 2023, Michelle joined the GSK Immunology Network. Made up of internationally recognised scientists, the programme bolsters connections between academic researchers and the pharmaceutical industry by embedding academics in GSK laboratories. As part of this, Michelle spends time in Stevenage at GSK’s R&D hub collaborating with the Immunology Research Unit.
Nationally, Michelle is a member of the BBSRC/MRC-CAtalyst Reducing ImmuNe Ageing (CARINA) network, part of the wider UK Ageing Network which brings researchers together across disciplines to advance our understanding of the biological mechanisms of ageing. She is also a co-leader of part of the UKRI-funded IMMPROVE project to unite global expertise to understand the body’s response to COVID-19 vaccines, improve vaccine development and support future pandemic preparedness. Michelle is part of the MRC National Mouse Genetics Ageing Cluster who seek to understand the mechanisms of how biological systems change across the lifespan.
Internationally, Michelle has an active collaboration through a BBSRC International Partnering Award with the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in Wellington, New Zealand which is working to develop and test mRNA vaccines that work more effectively in older people. She is a Deputy Editor of Immunology and Cell Biology, the flagship journal of the Australia and New Zealand Society for immunology.
Learn more about Michelle in this People & Ideas article published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine in June 2023: Michelle Linterman: We are always learning