Tom Rünz

Tom is a PhD student at Monash University based at Burnet Institute, supervised by Professor James Beeson, Dr Linda Reiling and Dr Adam Thomas. His research focuses on malaria vaccine development using mRNA technology, with the aim of designing vaccines that induce robust and durable immune responses. He investigates both antibody and immune cell responses, including germinal centre and memory B cells, to better understand the mechanisms underlying protective immunity. Tom completed a bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Bonn and a master’s degree in microbiology, specialising in parasitology and virology. He conducted his master’s thesis research at Burnet Institute, which provided the foundation for his current PhD work in malaria vaccine development.

• 2026–present: Doctor of Philosophy, Monash University, Australia
• 2022–2025: Master of Science, University of Bonn, Germany
• 2018–2022: Bachelor of Science, University of Bonn, Germany

• 2024–present: Member, Victorian Infection & Immunity Network, Australia

• 2022: Scientific Assistant, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
• 2021: Teaching Assistant, University of Bonn, Germany

• 2026–present: Co-funded Monash Graduate Scholarship (CF-MGS), Monash University, Australia
• 2026–present: Faculty International Tuition Scholarship (FITS), Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Australia
• 2024-2025: DAAD PROMOS Scholarship, University of Bonn, Germany