LA JOLLA, CA—Renowned T cell biologist and La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) Professor Alessandro Sette, Dr.Biol.Sci., has been awarded the 2025 William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement from Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society. The prize honors Sette’s accomplishments in immune system research, as well as his dedication to communicating the importance of his findings with scientists in other disciplines.
Over the last forty years, Sette has led groundbreaking research into how the immune system’s T cells fight disease.
Sette has shown how T cells target key molecular sites (called epitopes) on pathogens, tumors, and other threats. His research has revealed that T cells may even play a role in the development of Parkinson’s disease. Sette has also developed new methods to identify and even predict T cell epitopes on emerging viruses—an important step for the development of new therapies and vaccines that harness T cells to defend the body.
Throughout his career, Sette has shared his findings with scientists and non-scientists alike. “I value communication, and I think it’s an area where we as scientists can always do more,” says Sette. “It’s important to explain the significance of our findings beyond our immediate peers.”
In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sette stepped up to share vital immune system information with fellow scientists, the media, and lay audiences around the world. His outreach gave non-scientists a window into COVID-19 research and the basics of viral immunity. At the same time, his lab uncovered critical aspects of how T cells combat SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Sette encourages his own lab members to build their communications skills. “An important component for being an effective scientific communicator is to actually listen to the audience and try to put yourself in the audience’s shoes,” says Sette.
In addition to the Procter Prize statue and award funding, Sette will mark this achievement by presenting a lecture during Sigma Xi’s 2025 International Forum on Research Excellence (IFoRE). Held virtually from October 30–November 1, 2025.
The Procter Prize is named for William Procter (1872–1951), an American philanthropist and distinguished natural scientist. Since 1950, the Procter Prize has been awarded to pioneering scientists across many scientific disciplines, including Jane Goodall, Ph.D. (primatologist and anthropologist), Margaret Mead, Ph.D. (anthropologist), Stephen Jay Gould, Ph.D. (evolutionary biologist), and Nobel Prize winners Erst Lawrence, Ph.D. (physicist), Joshua Lederberg, Ph.D. (geneticist and microbiologist), John Kendrew, Ph.D. (biochemist), and Max Lederman, Ph.D. (physicist).
