Developing Innovative Tools for Malaria and Infectious Disease Surveillance

• Honours
• Masters by Coursework

This project offers students the opportunity to contribute to research on serological surveillance for malaria and other infectious priority diseases, with a particular focus on developing novel serological tools to improve disease surveillance and support elimination efforts.

Interested students will investigate how antibody responses can be used to measure malaria exposure, vector exposure, transmission intensity, and the specificity of serological exposure markers across different pathogens. The project combines laboratory immunoassays with computational and epidemiological approaches to evaluate and develop next-generation serological diagnostics.

Students will develop skills in multiplex immunoassays, large-scale data analysis, statistical and computational modelling, and the interpretation of epidemiological data. Through this work, students will contribute to the discovery and validation of serological biomarkers that inform infectious disease surveillance and public health decision-making.

This project is open to students in the CareerTracker, Metcalf Scholarship and Medical Student Research Internship programs.

The Longley Lab leverages naturally acquired immune responses against infections, particularly malaria, for both novel surveillance tools and development of vaccines. Our work uses immunological and epidemiological approaches and is underpinned by equitable partnerships with researchers in disease-endemic countries.

References:
Longley, Nat Med 2020 26(5):741-749
Bareng, Lancet Microbe 2026 7(6), 101335