As a PhD student, I am working on the transport and sorting of proteins in the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane of Plasmodium falciparum. P. falciparum, the causative agent of malaria tropica, invades and replicates in human red blood cells. During the invasion of the host cell, the parasite encloses itself in a so-called parasitophorous vacuole (PV), which is surrounded by a membrane, the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM). Although the exact biological function of the PVM is still unknown, it has been shown that this membrane is involved in several important processes that are important for the survival of the parasite. This is likely mediated by the integration of several parasite-encoded proteins into the PVM, including Plasmodium falciparum Exported Protein 1 (PfEXP1). Attempts to inactivate Exp1 have been unsuccessful, suggesting that the protein plays an essential role in both the intra-erythrocytic and blood stages. My PhD aims to identify the signals and mechanisms required to direct the transport of PfEXP1 to the PVM. Building on previous publications from our lab, I will apply a range of genetic techniques to understand how a membrane protein can be transported to and integrated into a biological membrane that exists only in malaria-infected cells. Due to the novel nature of PVM, likely, my PhD will also uncover new cell biological mechanisms.