Janilyn Arsenio, PhD

Janilyn Arsenio is an assistant professor in the departments of internal medicine and immunology at the University of Manitoba and a Canada Research Chair in Systems Biology of Chronic Inflammation. She is a principal investigator at the Manitoba Centre for Proteomics and Systems Biology and a leading researcher in infection, immunity and chronic inflammation. Her work focuses on understanding how T cells regulate adaptive immunity in response to infections, autoimmune diseases, cancer and vaccination.

Arsenio’s research integrates single-cell genomics, molecular biology, virology and immunology to investigate how T cells differentiate into diverse functional regulators. She is particularly interested in the molecular mechanisms that drive T cell fate during infections and chronic inflammation. Her research is supported by local and national funding and has broad applications in immunotherapy, vaccine development and the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Born and raised in Manitoba, Arsenio earned a bachelor of science with distinction in microbiology from the University of Manitoba, followed by a PhD in medical microbiology and infectious diseases. She completed postdoctoral research at the University of California San Diego, where she studied CD8 T cell differentiation during adaptive immune responses. In 2017, she returned to the University of Manitoba as a faculty member and was awarded a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in 2018.

Her contributions to immunology and medical research have been recognized with numerous honours, including the American Association of Immunologists Early Career Faculty Grant Award in 2024, the Ken Hughes Young Investigator Award in 2022 and the CBC Manitoba Future 40 Award in 2018. She was also inducted into the Global Young Academy.

Beyond research, Arsenio is a passionate advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion in science. She serves as vice-chair of Women in Science: Development, Outreach, and Mentoring (WISDOM) in Manitoba and is involved in several national organizations that support women in STEM. She is also a senior mentor for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Gender and Health Trainee Network.

Outside of academia, Arsenio is a devoted mother and wife. She continues to mentor young scientists while leading groundbreaking research in immunology and chronic inflammation.