Professor Jonathan Sprent is a prominent Australian immunologist recognised for his pioneering and sustained contributions to the understanding of T cell immunobiology.

Jonathan Sprent’s research has provided seminal insights into T cell development, thymic selection, immunological tolerance, T cell homeostasis, T cell activation and T cell memory, transplantation immunology and cancer immunotherapy.

His key discoveries include defining the mechanisms of positive and negative thymic selection and how they contribute to T cell differentiation and central tolerance; describing the role of cytokines in homeostatic T cell proliferation and T cell memory; defining the T and B cell collaboration that occurs during antibody production; the development of novel monoclonal antibody complexes and their use as immunotherapeutic agents.

Professor Sprent's outstanding research career has been recognised by numerous awards and honours. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society (UK), a member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. He was President of the American Association of Immunology. Sprent was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Association of Immunology (AAI) in 2015 and was elected a Distinguished Fellow of AAI in 2019.