Professor Graham Le Gros
Position: Former Director (Chief Executive) now Deputy Chair of the Trust Board, Malaghan Institute.
Field: Parasitic diseases, allergy and asthma.
Sir Graham Le Gros was the Research Director of the Malaghan Institute and he oversaw the running of a number of research programmes involving a staff of 100 people. He headed a research group of 8–10 people including PhD students and helped build the Malaghan Institute into a world-class centre for immunology and biomedical innovation
He enjoys the thinking, discussions and challenges involved in discovering how something works in the body.
Professor Graham Le Gros
Professor Graham Le Gros, Director of Research, Allergic and Parasitic Diseases Programme Leader, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research.
Research is the most interesting thing to do. You think you understand something and then discover a new fact that changes your understanding completely.
As a child, Graham always had a strong interest in animals and plants. He was inspired by many of the books and stories by the naturalist David Attenborough. When Graham went to university, he developed a love and thirst for using knowledge to discover new things. He completed a degree in microbiology and then trained and worked as a health inspector and technician. However, he decided that he needed more challenge and went back to university to train for a career in research. Graham then worked in various places such as Washington DC and Switzerland.
Professor Graham Le Gros at work
Professor Graham Le Gros and Mali Camberis work to develop vaccines against parasites and to treat allergic diseases.
Graham’s area of interest is to discover the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the immune system, which can be used to make vaccines against parasites and treat allergic diseases.
Graham says, “Research is the most interesting thing to do. You think you understand something and then discover a new fact that changes your understanding completely. I like the way thinking and talking with other people is so powerful at creating new ideas and therapies.”
Hookworm, the immune system and asthma
Professor Graham Le Gros from the Malaghan Institute explains how the hookworm suppresses our immune system in order to remain in the body. He realises that this could work to our advantage: there are many diseases where the immune system is overactive, such as asthma, and enzymes from hookworm could be used to calm the immune system in these instances.
Awards
In the 2014 Queen's Birthday honors list Graham was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to science and medicine. He also holds a position of Professor of the School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington and was elected to the Board of Research for Life in 2021.
He was elected a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand for outstanding leadership or eminent contributions to promoting and advancing science in New Zealand in 2025 .
In the 2026 New Year Honours, Graham was promoted to Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to medical science.
The other interests in Graham’s life revolve around family, books, movies, tramping, road trips and music.
Related content
Explore Graham's research further in the articles Hookworm and allergies and Researching an asthma vaccine.
Useful links
Find out more about the work of the Malaghan Institute and see Graham's profile.
A lasting legacy: advancing science, changing lives covers the work of Professor Le Gros over his three decades working at the Malaghan Institute.
Awards: Read this Stuff news story about Professor Le Gros' CNZM award in 2014 and the December 2025 Malaghan press release Sir Graham Le Gros awarded knighthood in New Year Honours.
Graham was one of the scientists working on a home-grown COVID-19 vaccine booster. Read about his work in this New Zealand Herald article.
Listen to this Radio NZ interview from 2019 with Professor Le Gros about how developing vaccines against asthma, allergy and human hookworm is his long-term ambition.
This article was originally written in 2010 and was updated in 2026.
