Dr. Ball’s main research interests are trying to understand susceptibility to infectious diseases, specifically HIV-1 and Tuberculosis. His research focus is to develop an understanding of what protects individuals from infectious disease acquisition and disease progression, discovering why these responses develop, and then work to translate these findings into novel public health interventions.

Understanding the mechanisms of why some individuals control or resist infectious agents is critical information for the development of vaccines, diagnostics and the development of new treatments.