Dr Ebony Monson's research focuses on understanding how cells respond to viral infection and translating these discoveries into innovative antiviral strategies. Her work sits at the intersection of virology, lipid biology, immunology and therapeutic development.

Research Areas

• Understanding the role of lipid droplets and lipid metabolism in antiviral immunity and host–virus interactions.
• Identifying novel extracellular communicators released during viral infection and defining their role in coordinating immune responses.
• Investigating mechanisms of intracellular trafficking and endosomal escape to improve therapeutic delivery.
• Developing lipid-based antiviral therapeutics and engineered lipid droplet technologies.
• Exploring how cellular organelles regulate innate immune signalling and influence disease outcomes.

Technical Expertise

• Advanced fluorescence, live-cell and super-resolution microscopy to track lipid droplets and intracellular dynamics.
• Lipidomics, proteomics and multi-omics approaches to characterise host responses to infection.
• Viral infection models and innate immune signalling assays.
• Development and engineering of artificial lipid droplets for therapeutic delivery and antiviral applications.
• Quantitative image analysis and systems-level investigation of host–pathogen interactions.

Translational Focus

• Leveraging fundamental discoveries in lipid biology to develop next-generation antiviral therapies and intracellular delivery platforms.