Development of novel strategies to combat malaria requires a clear understanding of the parasite in its human and mosquito hosts, in order to develop and implement new control and eradication tools. The 2015 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Malaria will focus on disease including severe malaria and pregnancy-associated malaria, transmission, epidemiology and control with possible application in the field. The conference will provide a forum to discuss cutting edge basic and applied research on malaria, with an emphasis on the development of novel tools and implementation of measures intended to treat, control, and eradicate malaria. This will be accomplished by inviting global leaders working in different areas of malaria research, or in fields outside the traditional malaria research areas that can stimulate new thinking and approaches to the malaria problem. The conference will be preceded by the Malaria Gordon Research Seminar from July 25th-26th, 2015 targeted at graduate students, post-docs and junior scientists.