Dessi is an immunologist and cell biologist interested in the molecular mechanisms of immune cell function. She completed her PhD in Molecular Immunology at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. This focused on understanding how immune cells interact and communicate directly to mount an effective immune response. She joined the MRC National Institute for Medical Research/ Francis Crick Institute as a postdoctoral researcher, where she continued to study adaptive immunity, particularly how B cells take up foreign pathogens and initiate antibody responses. This led to identification of novel endocytic pathways for antigen-triggered B cell receptors. In 2020, Dessi joined WWIEM, Queen's University Belfast, to establish her independent research into immune cell activation and communication in health and disease.
