Jessica Borger

Between completing her bachelor's degree and starting her PhD, Borger worked as a Molecular Biologist for GRMicro (2002 - 2003), and for Arrow Therapeutics as a Drug Discovery Scientist (2003 - 2006).[6]

Borger undertook her postdoctoral training on a Medical Research Council fellowship from 2010–2016 at the University of Edinburgh with Prof Zamoyska, investigating the role of Caveolin-1 in T cell cholesterol homeostasis, integrin signaling and exosome complex biogenesis.[1]

In 2016, Borger took a position in the Central Clinical School at Monash University as a senior postdoctoral researcher. In this position, Jessica has been researching gamma delta T cell development, activation and function as potential targets of therapeutic intervention of lung disorders.[1][4] Additionally, Jessica was awarded a CASS Foundation Medicine/Science grant to research the design of novel CAR-T therapy approaches in the lung using novel intracellular checkpoint blockade targets.[1][7] In 2017, she was awarded the IgV Best Postdoctoral Speaker Award by the Australia and New Zealand Society of Immunology, the Best Presentation Prize by the Immunology Alfred Hospital.,[8][9] and in 2018 the Best Speaker Award at the International Conference on Innate Lymphoid Cells in Japan.[10]

In 2019, Borger became lecturer and course-coordinator of graduate studies at Monash University. In this role, she created a master's course in translational research.[1] In the same year, Borger was the first recipient of the Margaret Baird Women in Immunology Award by the Australia and New Zealand Society for Immunology.[11][12]

Borger is an advocate for gender equality in STEM and science communicator. She has written articles for Women's Agenda,[13] The Conversation,[6] Women in STEMM Australia[14] and SoapboxScience.[15] In 2018, Jessica Borger was awarded the Veski Inspiring women STEM Sidebyside scholarship.[16][1][4]

From 2018, Borger has sat on both the A+ Gender Equity committee of the A+ Alfred Research Alliance at the Alfred Hospital and the Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) committee at the Central Clinical School at Monash University.[17][1] The GEDI committee conducted a survey to investigate problems and concerns with GEDI issues in the school[18] and ran a survey in 2020 to understand the impact of COVID-19 on researchers with a gendered lens applied.[19] In 2020 Borger, as a member of the Equity in Medical Research Alliance (EMRA) was involved in the creation of a position paper to mitigate the gendered impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the medical research workforce.[20]