Maria Yazdanbakhsh

Prof. Maria Yazdanbakhsh is a Professor of Cellular Immunology and Head of the Parasitology Department at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). She also serves as scientific coordinator of the Centre for Controlled Human Infections (L-CHIC) and chairs the LUMC Global Steering Committee. Her research focuses on parasite-host interactions, immune system modulation, and vaccine development against parasitic infections like malaria, while exploring links between parasitic infections and reduced inflammatory diseases in populations.

Education: BSc from King's College London, MSc from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, PhD from the University of Amsterdam (1987). She has held roles at Imperial College London and Leiden University before becoming a professor at LUMC in 2005.

Achievements:

• Recipient of the 2021 Spinoza Prize and 2022 ERC Advanced Grant.
• Member of KNAW, KHMW, and Academia Europaea.
• Developed pioneering malaria vaccine techniques using genetically modified parasites.

Research spans clinical trials in Europe, Africa, and Asia, investigating why vaccines like malaria show lower efficacy in Africa. She emphasizes international collaborations, serving as a visiting professor at Indonesian and Gabonese institutions. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, prioritizing global public health and training young researchers.