Michela Locci graduated magna cum laude in Biotechnology from the University of Bologna (Italy), and received her Ph.D. in Immunology and Applied Biotechnology from Tor Vergata University (Italy). After her postdoctoral training in Dr. Shane Crotty's group (USA), she joined the University of Pennsylvania (USA) as an Assistant Professor of Microbiology in 2018 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2025. Her research is focused on the biology of T follicular helper (Th) cells and the regulation of germinal center (GC) responses following vaccination, infection, and autoimmunity.
Dr. Locci's work has contributed to our current understanding of the nature of memory Th cells, the processes regulating the differentiation of Tfh cells as well as the quantitative and qualitative features of Th and GC B cell responses elicited by messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. Currently, major efforts in the Locci lab are aimed at shedding light on the cytokine regulation of Tfh and B cell responses in autoimmune diseases.