Professor Nicole La Gruta is head of the T cell development and function laboratory in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Monash University. She completed postdoctoral studies at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tennessee, before returning to Melbourne in 2002 as part of Prof Peter Doherty’s laboratory at the University of Melbourne. Nicole was appointed at Monash University in 2016 where she undertakes a comprehensive program of research to elucidate the key determinants of robust T cell immunity in the context of virus infection and autoimmune disease. She also has a keen interest in understanding the molecular basis of T cell dysfunction in the elderly. It is hoped that a better understanding of the drivers of optimal and dysfunctional T cell responses will inform the targeted design and application of T cell-based vaccines and therapeutics.