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Professor Mackay is leading groundbreaking work on tissue-resident memory T cells and their involvement in viral and tumour immunity. 

Prior to her discoveries, it was erroneously thought that immune memory was controlled by blood-borne elements. Professor Mackay demonstrated this is not the case. She defined a novel population of T-lymphocytes or “T-cells” resident at body surfaces, showing that these tissue-embedded components were distinct from T-cells circulating in the blood. Critically, she showed that tissue-resident T-cells provide a dominant first-line defence against infection and cancer, revealing novel genes and pathways that can be exploited to control these cells for therapeutic gain. 

Her discoveries resulted in dramatic paradigm-shifts in the fields of immunity and vaccinology, changing the way we think about how the body responds to infection by shifting the focus from the blood towards those tissues.  

“There have been major discoveries over the past few years that show you can actually use a patient’s own immune system to fight their own cancer,” Professor Mackay said. 

“The next step is to understand how we can generate the best immune response against infection and cancer – and how we can specifically target cells to create new cancer vaccines and therapies.” 

At 39, Professor Mackay is the Academy’s youngest-ever Fellow to be elected and she hopes this will inspire other young women to pursue a career in science. 

“Being elected at such a prestigious Academy is an amazing recognition.  

“When I started my career, I never thought that I would be a professor and receive such prestigious honour before I even turned 40. 

“In fact, I never thought being a professor was within my reach. It's something I didn't aspire to because I didn't think it was possible. Now that I am a professor, I guess, I am proof that it is possible to be a young female in a leadership position in science. 

“Myself, and many other young researchers, are breaking these barriers and I hope it encourages the younger generation to pursue a career in science – it’s a career path that truly allows you to be curious, creative and make an impact. 

“I think there are a lot of misconceptions about what scientists do. People may think that we do boring textbook things, when in fact, our lab is really exciting. Everybody is friendly, we have fun and we all passionately enjoy our work. It's just completely the opposite of what you think it's going to be,” Professor Mackay said. 

Professor Mackay acknowledged the support of her mentors, who supported and encouraged her to dream bigger in her career. 

“Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty Institute, Professor Katherine Kedzierska, Head of the Human T cell Laboratory at the Doherty Institute, and Professor Fabienne Mackay, former Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Melbourne, have been and continue to be amazing mentors. 

“They inspire me, and I feel privileged to receive such amazing support from these very successful women in science.” 

The Doherty Institute congratulates Professor Laura Mackay and all the other Fellows for their achievement. 

Other achievements: 

Professor Mackay is a Howard Hughes and Bill and Melinda Gates-funded International Scholar, Sylvia and Charles Viertel Senior Research Fellow, NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Dame Kate Campbell Fellow. She also received prestigious Awards The Gottschalk Medal (AAS) and Prime Minister’s Prize for Frank Fenner Life Scientist of the Year. 

Professor Mackay has a publication citation rate of over 1,000 a year, with a steep upward trajectory over the past five years and an average of over 120 citations per paper. She is listed as a Highly Cited Researcher and the highest-ranked female immunologist in Australia (2021, ClarivateTM).