Associate Professor Sylvie Alonso Promoted to full Professor effective 1 January 2026
Published: 29 May 2026
Congratulations to Associate Professor Sylvie Alonso on her promotion to full Professor effective 1 January 2026.
An internationally renowned expert in infectious diseases and Ribonucleic acid (RNA) virology, Prof Alonso is widely recognized for her pioneering work on host-pathogen interactions and vaccine development, particularly in dengue, Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD), and other viral diseases of major relevance to Asia. Her research has advanced understanding of viral fitness, virulence and immune responses, with important implications for the development of new therapeutics and vaccines.
One of the key challenges in the field has been the lack of clinically relevant models for studying viral pathogenesis. Prof Alonso addressed this by pioneering the development of distinct, symptomatic preclinical models for dengue and HFMD using clinically relevant viral strains. These models have gained strong international recognition and are now widely used in collaborative research, including industry partnerships. Through these platforms, she has gone on to identify key viral determinants and host factors driving disease severity, uncovered novel immune evasion strategies, and generated critical insights into vaccine-induced immunity and disease pathogenesis.
Building on these discoveries, Prof Alonso has also contributed significantly to vaccine innovation. Working with international partners, she co-developed a novel dendritic cell-targeting vaccine platform capable of inducing strong and durable immune responses upon a single shot. This platform has shown promising results in preclinical studies for influenza and COVID-19, and is being advanced towards clinical translation. Since joining NUS Medicine, she has secured substantial research funding, published extensively in leading international journals, and received multiple accolades, including the Faculty Research Excellence Award.
Prof Alonso commands strong international standing in her field. She is frequently invited to speak at leading conferences and world-renowned institutions, including Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge, and serves on the editorial boards of prominent journals such as npj Vaccines and Antiviral Research. She is also regularly invited to review for top-tier journals and international funding agencies.
Beyond her research achievements, Prof Alonso has demonstrated outstanding leadership at national and institutional levels. She currently leads the Vaccines & Therapeutics Co-operative under Singapore’s PREPARE Programme and serves as Deputy Director of the Life Sciences Institute and Co-Chair of the Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme at NUS Medicine. In these capacities, she helps shape research strategy, strengthen translational efforts, and foster multidisciplinary collaboration.
