Dr Cowman has made important contributions towards our understanding of Plasrnodium falciparum the causative agent of the most lethal form of human malaria. In particular, he and his colleagues have elucidated the mechanisms of resistance that this parasite uses to evade the most important antimalarial agents used for both control and treatment of this disease. This has implications for the epidemiological analysis of drug resistance genes and the development of novel antimalarials. Additionally, he has made important contributions to our understanding of the structure of the P.falciparum genome and the function of important virulence determinants of this infectious organism.