Effective control of infections relies on coordinated trafficking of T cells into tissues and for a long time it was thought that continuous circulation of memory T cells was essential for protective immunity. Growing evidence in mice clearly demonstrate that tissue resident memory T cells are not only distinct from circulating memory T cells, but also provide greater protection against secondary challenge. We have identified tissue resident memory T cells in human tissues and these cells have distinct characteristics when compared to their circulating counterparts. For example, we show a preferential accumulation of CCR7-CD45RA- effector memory and CCR7-CD45RA+ TEMRA CD8+ T cells within the human spleen and these resident memory T cells localise to the T cell areas of the spleen. In order to gain a better understanding of the possible mechanisms that regulate the retention of these resident memory T cells, we examined CD8+ T cells specific for Epstein Barr Virus and Cytomegalovirus. This revealed a selective accumulation of EBV, but not CMV-specific cells, within the human spleen. We also show that residency of memory T cells is unlikely to be driven by the continuos presence of antigen, rather a process regulated by cytokines. To this end, our work shows that the ability to respond to low dose IL-15 may be a key factor that regulates tissue resident memory T cells in humans.