Dr. Sidonia Eckle is a Lab Head at The University of Melbourne, based at the Doherty Institute. She completed her PhD in Prof. James McCluskey’s laboratory at the University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on the role of MAIT cells in parasitic infections and T cell-mediated allergies, with the aim of advancing vaccine and therapeutic development. As part of a multidisciplinary team, she has made significant contributions to the MAIT cell field, including (i) discovering the bacterial- and yeast-derived MAIT cell antigens and developing MR1 tetramers, licensed to the NIH Tetramer Core Facility and Immudex, (ii) characterising the interaction between MR1-antigen, MAIT TCR and CD8, and (iii) elucidating MAIT cell modulation by small molecule drugs. Dr. Eckle is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and a University of Melbourne Dame Kate Campbell Fellow.