About
Luzia moved from Zambia to Australia in 2015 to pursue a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Queensland. While there, she spent a semester at the Institute for Molecular Biosciences doing an undergraduate project examining the anti-biotic activity of anti-microbial peptides. Following this, she moved to the QIMR Berghofer to undertake an Honour’s project with Professor Christian Engwerda, where she investigated the effects of modulating the immune response to malaria in mice.
After graduating in 2019, Luzia sought to gain practical experience and a deeper understanding of the real-world implications of research, so she moved to Timor-Leste and spent some time working in the microbiology department of Guido Valadares National Hospital.
Returning to Zambia in 2020, Luzia worked as a laboratory scientist at the Centre for Infectious Diseases Research. This experience further strengthened her drive to continue conducting research in infectious diseases, with a focus on improving the overall well-being of affected populations.
In 2021, Luzia returned to Australia and started a PhD project examining the establishment of immune regulatory mechanisms in CD4+ T cells during malaria in the Immunology and Infection laboratory at QIMR Berghofer.