Jana Vukovic

The University of Queensland
Brisbane, QLD | Australia

Professor Jana Vukovic leads the Neuroimmunology and Cognition team at The University of Queensland. Her research investigates how immune cells—particularly microglia and peripheral immune populations—affect learning and memory, with a focus on brain injury, stroke, infection, ageing, and neurodegenerative conditions. Her lab aims to understand how cellular and molecular changes influence behaviour and how the brain’s regenerative capacity might be harnessed to support cognitive function. Her current projects address the impact of acquired brain injuries, such as trauma and stroke, which often lead to long-term cognitive challenges including memory loss, epilepsy, and depression. While the initial damage is irreversible, her team has identified ways to prevent secondary degeneration by targeting microglia. Their recent findings show that microglia can be guided into a “repopulating” state that supports recovery and repair.

Professor Vukovic received her PhD in 2008 from The University of Western Australia, where she studied glial involvement in nerve repair. She joined the Queensland Brain Institute in 2009 to work with Professor Perry Bartlett and was awarded a Queensland Government Smart Futures Fellowship to investigate adult neurogenesis and microglial function in ageing. In 2015, she established her independent laboratory and was jointly appointed as a group leader by the School of Biomedical Sciences and the Queensland Brain Institute. She held an ARC DECRA from 2015 to 2018 and, in 2020, received the Viertel Senior Medical Fellowship to study neuroinflammation after brain injury. In 2024, she was selected as an Associate Member/Mentee of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. She also serves on the International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO) Asia-Pacific Regional Committee.