Thomas Proft received his M.Sc. in Biology and his Ph.D. (Dr. rer.nat.) in Molecular Microbiology at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. He joined the University of Auckland in 1995 and is now a Professor of Molecular Medicine and Pathology at the School of Medical Sciences. He has received numerous awards, including the Young Investigator Travel Award from the Japanese Society for Immunology (2000), the Early Career Research Excellence Award from the University of Auckland (2001), the Invitrogen Life Sciences Young Investigator Award (2004), and the HRC Sir Charles Hercus Research Fellowship (2004–2008). His research interests include group A streptococcus, acute rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, and vaccines.