Iona Schuster

Iona Schuster is a Research Fellow in the Department of Microbiology at Monash University. Her work focuses on natural killer (NK) cell biology, innate immunity, and their roles in cancer, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s. She collaborates extensively on projects involving immune regulation, transcriptional control mechanisms, and tissue-resident memory cell dynamics.

Key research areas include: NK cell development and function, epigenetic regulation of immune responses, microbiome-immune interactions, and the interplay between infection and autoimmune disorders. Her studies often utilize mouse models to investigate mechanisms underlying immune-mediated pathologies.

Notable contributions include defining roles for IKAROS/AIOLOS transcription factors in NK cell differentiation, uncovering tissue-resident memory NK cell functions, and demonstrating dietary fiber’s neuroprotective effects via microbiota metabolites. Her work integrates molecular biology, immunology, and translational research approaches.