Alessandro Sette of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology is recognized for his work in immune system research and his sharing his findings with others.

T cell biologist and La Jolla Institute for Immunology professor Alessandro Sette has been awarded the 2025 William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement from Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society.

Sette is recognized for his accomplishments in immune system research and his dedication to communicating his findings with other scientists.

Sette has led groundbreaking research more than 40 years into how the immune system’s T cells fight disease by targeting molecular sites called epitopes on pathogens, tumors and other threats. 

Throughout his career, Sette has shared his findings, noting he values communication.

“I think it’s an area where we as scientists can always do more,” he said in a press release. “It’s important to explain the significance of our findings beyond our immediate peers.”

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,” Sette said.

In addition to the Procter Prize statue and award funding, Sette will mark this achievement by presenting a lecture during Sigma Xi’s virtual International Forum on Research Excellence, held this year from Oct 30 through Nov 1.

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 (primatologist and anthropologist), Margaret Mead (anthropologist) and Stephen Jay Gould (evolutionary biologist), among many.