Dr. Diana Hansen

Biography

Diana Hansen completed her PhD studies at the University of Buenos Aires through a collaborative program between the National Institute of Parasitology in Argentina and the National Veterinary Institute in Uppsala, Sweden. She later undertook postdoctoral training in malaria research at the Walter Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, Australia, where she established an internationally recognized program investigating the inflammatory responses responsible for the induction of severe malaria. Currently, she serves as a Professor of Microbiology and Co-Head of the Infection Discovery Program at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University. Her main research interests focus on developing solutions to combat devastating mosquito-borne infectious diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, which contribute to approximately 600 million clinical cases worldwide annually. In 2020, she pivoted to COVID-19 research, leading clinical studies both in Australia and abroad. Diana's expertise extends to understanding the mechanisms that regulate the pathogenesis and induction of immunity concerning infectious diseases, which she pursues through pre-clinical infection models and applying systems immunology approaches in clinical studies within endemic areas. She has secured funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), e-ASIA, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Australian Academy of Science. Her work aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals, targeting global health and well-being.

Research Interests