Background

Damian completed his PhD from Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University in 2020 under the supervision of Dr Michelle Boyle. His PhD project focused on profiling functional antibody response and complement pathogenesis in malaria. 

In 2020, he joined the Stuart Lab at Seattle Children’s Research Institute to work on malaria vaccine and immunology projects. His work include utilizing systems immunology to profile vaccine-induced immune response and characterising malaria parasite-specific T cell response in malaria vaccine trials. 

Damian returned to Australia in 2023 and re-joined the Boyle Lab to embark on projects involving mapping immune response to malaria in lymphoid organs and in clinical trial settings.  

Positions

• 2023-Present: Research Officer, Burnet Institute
• 2020-2023: Postdoctoral Fellow, Seattle Children’s Research Institute
• 2016-2019: Research Assistant, Menzies School of Health Research
• 2013-2015: Site Laboratory Supervisor, Eijkman Institute, Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Unit

Qualifications

• 2016-2020: PhD (Award July 2020), Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University. Supervisor: Dr Michelle Boyle
• 2012-2013: Honours in Biology, Monash University
• 2009-2012: Bachelor of Medical Bioscience, Monash University

Awards

• 2019: Research Training Award, Australian Centre of Research Excellence in Malaria Elimination
• 2018: International Student Development Grant, Northern Territory Government
• 2017: Travel Award, International Conference of Research on Plasmodium vivax
• 2016: Menzies Enhanced Living Scholarship
• 2016: Charles Darwin University Postgraduate Scholarship
• 2015: Travel Award, US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases