Sian Faustini

Sian Faustini is a Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham's Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy within the College of Medical and Dental Sciences. Her research focuses on translational immunology with emphasis on vaccine responses, infectious diseases, and diagnostic development.

Her educational background includes a Doctor of Philosophy in Immune responses to pneumococcal immunisation in HIV-infected adults from the University of Birmingham (awarded 2018), a Master of Research in How does CD8 loss impact the immune response to systemic Salmonella infection (2013), and a Bachelor of Science in Cellular Co-receptors required for HIV-1 entry from Washington College (2009).

Dr. Faustini's research spans multiple critical areas including SARS-CoV-2 immunology, HIV vaccine responses, autoantibody detection in diabetes, and lateral flow diagnostic development. Her work integrates cellular immunology with clinical applications, particularly examining T cell responses in infectious disease contexts and developing point-of-care diagnostic tools. Current projects focus on maternal vaccination, rapid saliva testing for vaccine monitoring, and monoclonal gammopathy surveillance.

Her publication record shows consistent productivity with 79 research outputs including 58 articles, with significant recent contributions in 2024-2025 focusing on multi-omic approaches to COVID-19 pathogenesis, T cell regulation in liver disease, and innovative diagnostic platforms. Her research demonstrates strong interdisciplinary collaboration across immunology, diagnostics, and clinical medicine.

• British Society for Immunology Travel Grant (2018)
• British Society for Immunology Travel Grant (2019)
• BSI Communicating Immunology Public Engagement Award (2019)
• BSI Early Career Researcher Grant (2023)
• BSI Travel Grant (2024)

Dr. Faustini serves as Co-Investigator on multiple major research projects including IRONMUM (maternal vaccination), MPXV serosurveillance, Diabetes 4ward, and rapid saliva testing for LMICs. Her collaborative activities include the FLARE Investigators network and PITCH Consortium. She has presented at significant venues including the Multiplex Immunoassay Network Meeting and chaired sessions for visiting researchers.