Vaccines 2024 Young Investigator Award—Winner Announced

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Vaccines 2024 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Alexandra (Ali) Dvorscek. She completed her Ph.D. in 2024 at Monash University, Australia, under the supervision of Dr. Isaak Quast and Prof. David Tarlinton. Her research focused on investigating the factors that regulate successful antibody production and immune memory formation. Dr. Dvorscek's recent work uncovered a mechanism by which the immune response to vaccination can be substantially enhanced. More specifically, by incorporating small amounts of monoclonal antibodies into vaccines, Alexandra was able to promote the magnitude, duration, and output of the immune response to both protein and mRNA vaccination. These findings can inform future vaccine design and provide insights into how the current vaccine formulations and strategies can be improved. Recently, Dr. Dvorscek relocated to the UK to pursue a postdoctoral position in the lab of Dr. Ryan Thwaites at the Imperial College, where she will investigate the immune response to influenza.

As the awardee, Dr. Alexandra Dvorscek will receive the following honorarium:

• CHF 2000;
• The opportunity to publish one paper free of charge in Vaccines after a peer review (before the end of 2025);
• An electronic certificate.

We would like to thank the award committee for their excellent work in the difficult task of selecting the winner from a pool of excellent candidates, as well as everyone who participated in this award and helped to make it such a success!

Prof. Dr. Ralph A. Tripp
Editor-in-Chief of Vaccines