Professional Profile

 

I am an Associate Professor and Principal Medical Scientist in Medical Virology at Stellenbosch University and the National Health Laboratory Service. I obtained my PhD in Medical Biochemistry in 2004 and have since established a sustained academic career integrating diagnostic service delivery, research leadership, postgraduate training, and national biosafety governance. My expertise spans virology, forensic pathology, immunology, infectious diseases, biosafety, and the governance and management of BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratory facilities.

 

Academic Leadership, Governance, and National Service

 

In addition to teaching and supervision, I hold multiple leadership roles at institutional and national level. I serve as Vice-Chair of the Stellenbosch University Research Ethics Committee for Biological and Environmental Safety and Chair of the National Task Force supporting the World Health Organization Global Action Plan for Polio Eradication.

 

From 2017 to 2023, I served as Chair of the National Authority for Containment and qualified as a GAP III auditor for poliovirus containment under WHO requirements, contributing directly to South Africa’s compliance with international biosafety and eradication standards. I also serve on the Quality Assurance Committee for Partnering for Health Professional Training in African Universities (P4PHT), funded through the European Union’s Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme, and Chair the Virology Postgraduate Programme Committee.

 

My broader academic service includes reviewing manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals, evaluating grant applications for multiple funding agencies, acting as an internal reviewer for National Research Foundation Pathology scholarships, and serving as both internal and external postgraduate examiner and undergraduate programme moderator.

 

Contribution to the Discipline

 

My career reflects the integration of academic scholarship, diagnostic virology, biosafety governance, and public health leadership. Through research, postgraduate supervision, curriculum innovation, and national regulatory engagement, I have contributed to strengthening virology training, laboratory biosafety systems, and infectious disease research capacity in South Africa and across Africa.