Gabrielle Belz originally trained in Veterinary medicine and surgery and received her PhD from the University of Queensland before undertaking postdoctoral training with Peter Doherty at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital where she developed an intense interest in how the immune system fights off infection. Gabrielle returned to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (Melbourne) as a Wellcome Trust Senior Overseas Fellow and established a program in pathogen infection to illuminate the complex interactions that occur between cells of the innate and adaptive immune system. Her research contributions have been recognized by a number of awards including a HHMI international fellowship and the Gottschalk Medal (Australian Academy of Science). Currently, she leads a research team that focuses on uncovering the cellular, transcriptional and epigenetic signals required to form long-lived protective immunity with a major focus on innate lymphocytes, dendritic cells and T cells.