Frequent outbreaks highlight our vulnerability to viral pathogens and the importance of pandemic preparedness. Our research vision is to develop vaccines to establish protective immunity that precedes viral evolution in the host-pathogen arms race to ultimately eradicate infectious diseases. Initial efforts will focus on antigen design to facilitate understanding of the landscape and dynamics of humoral antibody responses. These efforts will inform strategies that can guide immunity toward evolutionarily conserved sites of vulnerability for broad or universal protection. Such vaccine candidates will translate into cost-effective counter-measures against rapidly-evolving viruses, especially benefiting low-income families and countries.