Jessica Barnes

Dr Jessica Barnes is a Research Fellow at the University of Newcastle's School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, affiliated with the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) and serving as Deputy Theme Leader for the Airway Disease and Vaccines Theme. With a PhD in Immunology and Microbiology (2023), she has made seminal contributions to T cell immunology through her discovery of Th22 cells as a distinct lineage and their T-bet-dependent functional characterisation.

• University of Newcastle
• Doctor of Philosophy (Immunology and Microbiology)
• Bachelor of Biotechnology (Honours)

Her research focuses on CD4+ T cell regulation at mucosal surfaces, particularly in respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Key technical expertise includes flow cytometry, mouse models, transgenic tools, and RNA-sequencing. She leads preclinical studies on host-pathogen interactions and NHMRC-funded projects addressing T cell dysfunction in chronic inflammation like severe asthma.

Scientific output includes 13 peer-reviewed publications, over 650 citations, and a Google Scholar h-index of 11. Notable contributions in Mucosal Immunology, Journal of Immunology, and Science Translational Medicine demonstrate her impact in cellular immunology (70%), respiratory diseases (20%), and allergy research (10%).

Currently supervising two PhD candidates and contributing to collaborative research efforts, her work spans

• Translational immunology
• Vaccine development
• Host defence mechanisms

with particular emphasis on cross-disciplinary applications in inflammation and infection dynamics.