Dr. Prado is a viro-immunologist with over 20 years of research experience in host-pathogen interactions, specialising in viral immune evasion, T-cell immunology, and translational virology. Her early research focused on the molecular mechanisms of HIV drug resistance (PhD), followed by postdoctoral work at the University of Oxford, where she analysed virus-specific CD8⁺ T-cell responses and their role in immune control of HIV. This work has led to a long-standing research focus on viral antigenic variation and T-cell dysfunction—specifically immune exhaustion—as key factors in disease progression and barriers to viral control.

Since 2013, Dr. Prado has led an independent research group at IrsiCaixa, and since 2019, she has served as Scientific Director at the IIS-IGTP. Her research combines virology, cellular immunology, protein engineering, and computational biology to explore the molecular and functional mechanisms of antiviral T-cell responses, with a translational focus on immune monitoring and the development of immunotherapies for viral infections. Key areas include immune correlates of control in HIV infection, antigen-specific T-cell dysfunction, and mechanisms underlying chronic immune activation and exhaustion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she contributed to the design and immunological evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, including the development and EMA regulatory approval of HIPRA's recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine. Her group is currently expanding this work to characterise long-term immune disturbances associated with post-acute COVID-19 (Long COVID), especially in the area of neurocognitive impairment.

Dr. Prado has published 77 peer-reviewed articles (58% in D1/Q1; 28% as senior or corresponding author) and secured over € 7 million in competitive national and international funding (23 projects, 16 as principal investigator), including R&D and HR contracts. She has established multidisciplinary collaborations with academic institutions of excellence and private-sector partners, and is an active member of scientific networks such as GESIDA-SEIMC, CIBERINFEC, and the EATRIS-Spain immunomonitoring platform (which she chairs). Her experience also includes supervising graduate and doctoral trainees and participating in RRI initiatives, with a focus on scientific dissemination and equity in research.

Dr. Julia Garcia Prado