Professor Antje Blumenthal leads the Infection & Inflammation Group at The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute in Brisbane, Australia. She combines her expertise in immunology and microbiology to drive research aimed at improving our ability to treat severe bacterial infections as part of the global efforts to overcome the threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antje Blumenthal graduated with a major in Microbiology from the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel, Germany, pursued PhD research in Immunology at the Leibniz Research Center for Medicine and Biosciences Borstel, Germany, and expanded her training in immunology and microbiology during her postdoctoral work at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, USA. Professor Blumenthal has been recognised for her contributions to the scientific community through leadership roles within the University, professional societies, and editorial roles for eminent international journals. She is an enthusiastic undergraduate teacher and research student advisor, and takes a proactive role in advancing the careers of junior scientists. Her leadership in developing and implementing initiatives that promote equity, diversity and inclusion in science have gained her institutional and national recognition.

Associate Professor Joanna Groom is an NHMRC Investigator fellow and laboratory head in the Immunology division of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI). She received her PhD from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research followed by postdoctoral studies at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, where she revealed that directed cell migration into lymphoid niches is intertwined with cell fate and function. Her current research combines imaging and transcriptional analysis to dissect the cellular interactions that mediate protection against diverse pathogenic infections. 
Associate Professor Groom is co-chair of the WEHI Gender Equality Committee where she has developed and implemented policy to support for women, care givers and to promote diversity and inclusion. She has written Gender Equity policy for the Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia-Oceania (FIMSA). In recognition of her mentoring leadership, she was a guest contributor to a “World View” feature on Mentoring (Nature Immunology 2021).