Mariapia Degli-Esposti, PhD is a Professor at Monash University. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. At Monash University Mariapia heads the Experimental and Viral Immunology Group within the Infection and Immunity Program at the Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Department of Microbiology as a NHMRC Leadership Fellow. Mariapia’s laboratory studies viruses that cause lifelong infections as a way to unravel the pathways, interactions, and molecular mechanisms that determine the efficacy of immune responses. Her work has uncovered critical immunological pathways that shape immune efficacy and determine the outcomes of viral infection, including complications in autoimmunity and transplantation. Her research focuses on understanding the regulation of complex immune responses, especially those involved in autoimmunity, infection and tumour control. Her laboratory has elucidated novel interactions between components of the innate and adaptive immune system and how they affect the outcome of immune responses in the setting of infection and autoimmunity. These findings have been key to both basic and translational research aimed at developing improved therapies to treat viral infections and their complications by harnessing the immune system.