Daniel received his Bachelor degrees in Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Oviedo, Spain, and obtained his PhD from the University of Bonn, Germany, in 2008. Daniel then took up a postdoctoral position working on malaria immunology in the Heath Lab at the Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, where he is currently based. His research explores immunity to malaria, particularly focusing on T cell memory and vaccination.
Daniel's work led to the generation of two T cell receptor-transgenic mouse lines specific for malaria parasite antigens (termed PbT-I and PbT-II) that facilitate detailed analyses of T cell function in the context of infection and vaccination. Using these tools, Daniel pioneered the study of liver-resident memory T cells and their protective potential against malaria. Daniel also participated in the development of novel vaccination strategies that exploit the remarkable protective features of these cells, as well as in the identification of novel parasite antigens for such T cell-based vaccines.