Nationality: Singaporean 

Position: Research Fellow, Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Australia 

Research fields: Mucosal humoral immunity against respiratory infectious diseases (TB, coronavirus, influenza) 

Dr Kevin John Selva received his PhD from the University of Melbourne in 2019 and joined the Chung group at the Doherty Institute, where he leads studies focused on mucosal antibodies (tears, saliva, nasal fluid) against respiratory pathogens across different age groups (children, adults, elderly). 

Kevin’s COVID-19 research has not only emphasized how children mount better immune responses against SARS-CoV-2, but also uncovered that poorer responses among the elderly were due to biases in pre-existing immunity. His work with vaccinated cohorts explored the impacts of delayed vaccination schedules, investigated the co- administration of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, and highlighted how class- switched IgG4 following mRNA boosters negatively impact antibody functions. 

Kevin is a Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics (CGCPT) foundation grant recipient developing IgA therapeutics against respiratory viruses, and was awarded the Australian NHMRC research fellowship in 2025 to continue his research on mucosal immunity.