Rate My Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik

Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik is a professor of immunology and Director of the National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED) at Griffith University. She holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours from Griffith University and a PhD from Southern Cross University. Prior to her current role at Griffith University, she served as an associate professor at Bond University. Professor Marshall-Gradisnik is recognised as a world leader in research on natural killer (NK) cells and ion channel dysfunction in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Her work has also examined overlaps with Long COVID and Gulf War Illness, with a focus on calcium ion channel dysfunction, particularly TRPM3. She co-authored the International Consensus Criteria for ME/CFS and established the largest Australian biobank for ME/CFS research. In the past ten years, she has secured over $18 million in research funding to support investigations into the pathophysiology of ME/CFS and the development of a laboratory diagnostic test. Professor Marshall-Gradisnik is affiliated with the Menzies Health Institute Queensland at Griffith University.

Her research specialisations centre on immunological mechanisms, genetic factors, and cellular dysfunction in chronic conditions. She has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications on NK cell profiles, cytotoxic function, and ion channel alterations in ME/CFS. Professor Marshall-Gradisnik leads a multidisciplinary team at NCNED and has supervised research students and postdoctoral fellows. Her contributions have advanced understanding of immune cell dysfunction and potential diagnostic approaches in neuroimmunological disorders.