Carolyn Nielsen

I am a Postdoctoral Immunologist working with Simon Draper in the Blood Stage Malaria Vaccine Programme. My research focuses on establishing methodologies to isolate antigen-specific human B cells and follicular helper (Tfh) T cells from peripheral blood, with a particular interest in the cellular immunology kinetics post-vaccination with malaria candidate vaccine PfRH5. This work also aims to facilitate high-throughput monoclonal antibody generation, B cell repertoire analysis, and single cell analyses of Tfh cells.

Prior to joining the Jenner Institute, I obtained my ScM in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, before completing my PhD with Eleanor Riley at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. My PhD thesis work, supported by an MRC Vaccine Research studentship, focused on the impact of human cytomegalovirus infection on natural killer cell responses to vaccines.

My long-term interest is in understanding the factors that contribute to heterogeneity in vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy, in order to guide vaccine development and optimisation.