Alison obtained her PhD from the University of London for which she studied the role that CD8+ T cells play in immunity to tuberculosis (TB) using an experimental animal model. The focus of her current research is to identify the defects in T cell function responsible for the increased susceptibility of HIV infected patients to developing active TB infection and aims to elucidate ways to boost protective immune responses against TB. Her project is entitled: Augmentation of protective cytotoxic T cell responses in TB and TB/HIV patients by IL-21 and IL-15.