Professor Jenefer Blackwell is distinguished for her scientific achievements in the study of host susceptibility and resistance to infectious diseases. For more than three decades she has undertaken research on neglected tropical diseases, including leishmaniasis, a disease caused by protozoan parasites which infects about 2 million people and kills tens of thousands every year. Through genome-wide analysis, Jenefer discovered that genetic risk for visceral leishmaniasis lies at the heart of eliciting T cell immunity, facilitating innovate genome-based approaches to develop vaccines effective in at-risk individuals.