Wai-Hong Tham

Professor Wai-Hong Tham serves as Laboratory Head in the Infection and Global Health division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), leading research focused on malaria pathogenesis and structural biology. With a PhD from Princeton University and a BA from UC Berkeley, Tham's laboratory combines molecular, cellular and structural biology methods with parasitology to study host-parasite interactions governing malaria infection and transmission.

Tham's research interests center on understanding how malaria parasites enter red blood cells and evade the immune system, with particular focus on parasite proteins required for red blood cell entry and transmission. Their work intersects structural biology, nanobody technology, immuno-epidemiology and molecular parasitology to rationally design new inhibitors and antibodies that block malaria infection and transmission. Recent publications demonstrate significant advances in cryo-EM structural characterization of malaria proteins and development of transmission-blocking nanobodies.

• 2023: Victorian Honour Roll of Women as a 'Change Agent'
• 2020 & 2019: Eureka Prize for Infectious Disease Research
• 2018: Burnet Prize and Elizabeth Blackburn Biomedical Fellowship
• 2017: David Syme Research Prize and HHMI-Wellcome International Research Scholar

Tham currently supervises multiple PhD students including Frankie Lyons, Jackson Feng, Bessie Qian and Jerry Chen, and leads research projects on complement evasion strategies, malaria parasite entry pathways, and human monoclonal antibodies against malaria. Their laboratory, comprising 13 members, works closely with partners in malaria endemic regions to ensure research remains relevant to combating this global disease. Current funding includes multiple grants from NHMRC, NIH, Wellcome Trust, and the Medical Research Future Fund for projects including antibody-based therapies against infectious diseases and blocking malaria transmission.