Gemma Moncunill

Gemma Moncunill is a Researcher and Ramon y Cajal fellow at ISGlobal, specializing in malaria immunology and vaccinology. She earned a Biology degree from Universitat de Barcelona (2004) and a PhD in Immunology from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2009). Her career includes postdoctoral roles at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center (2013–2014) and the University of British Columbia (2015–2017), focusing on immune responses to malaria and HIV. Since 2017, she has led malaria vaccine research at ISGlobal, co-directing the Biomarkers and Immune Response Core Facility. Her work integrates systems immunology to study vaccine efficacy, maternal-neonatal immunity, and long-COVID pathogenesis.

Research interests include malaria vaccine development, immune correlates of protection, and biomarker identification in co-infections. She has contributed to over 20 research projects, including Phase 3 trials of the RTS,S malaria vaccine and longitudinal studies of SARS-CoV-2 immunity. Her recent work explores genetic determinants of long-COVID and cross-reactive antibody responses in endemic settings.

Publications highlight Lancet Infectious Diseases and Science Translational Medicine studies on vaccine-induced immunity and malaria biomarkers. Awards include the prestigious Ramon y Cajal Fellowship. She collaborates internationally, particularly in Mozambique and sub-Saharan Africa, addressing vaccine efficacy in high-burden populations.