Prof David Tscharke obtained his PhD from the University of Adelaide in South Australia with a research focus on herpes simplex virus pathogenesis and CD8+ T cell immunity. Thereafter, Prof Tscharke worked in postdoctoral positions on projects related to vaccinia viral pathogenesis and vaccine design at Oxford University and Imperial College London in the UK, at the National Institutes of Health in the US, and at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia. From 2006, Prof Tscharke has been teaching and leading research at The Australian National University (ANU) wherein during his tenure he has received numerous accolades including a Young Tall Poppy Award, an NHMRC Career Development Award, and an ARC Future Fellowship. Prof Tscharke is currently an NHMRC Leadership Fellow at the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) and Head of The Tscharke Group – Viruses and Immunity conducting research on immunity to virus infection, poxviruses and herpesviruses, and antigen presentation.