Associate Professor Alyssa Barry leads the Systems Epidemiology of Infection Laboratory at Deakin University (Geelong) and the Translational Genomics Working Group at Burnet Institute (Melbourne). Until recently, she was a Laboratory Head in the Population Health and Immunity Division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and the Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne. Alyssa has previously held postdoctoral positions at the Burnet Institute, New York University School of Medicine (USA) and University of Oxford (UK). She leads a multidisciplinary research program combining genomics, immunology and epidemiology that is at the interface of basic research and public health. Research in the Barry lab aims to dissect the complex interplay between malaria parasite diversity, host immunity and host genetics that drives disease patterns in malaria endemic areas. The research has a particular focus on building parasite genomic surveillance capacity for malaria control and elimination. Alyssa works closely with a large network of local and international collaborators including field researchers based in malaria endemic countries. She is a member of the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN), the Malaria Genomic Epidemiology Network (MalariaGEN), CIA on two current NHMRC Project Grants, Molecular Lead on a DFAT Health Systems Strengthening Grant (STRIVE PNG), co-Principle Investigator on the NIH-funded International Centres for Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMR) for the Asia Pacific and Co-Investigator with the West Africa ICEMR.
