ACHIEVEMENTS

Congratulations to Dr Bih Chendi on her successful application to join the VALIDATE Network as an Associate Member! VALIDATE is a global network of interdisciplinary researchers focused on tackling some of the world’s most challenging infectious diseases—particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These include diseases caused by mycobacteria (like…

We are thrilled to announce that Dr Bih Chendi has been selected for the RePORT International Coordinating Center (TB-RICC) Early-Stage Investigator Fellowship Program under the supervision of Professor Novel Chegou, Head of ChegouLab within the Immunology Research Group at Stellenbosch University. The RePORT International initiative—Regional Prospective Observational Research for Tuberculosis—focuses…

When Carene Ndong Sima, a PhD candidate in the SU Tuberculosis Host Genetics Research Group within the Division of MBHG, was selected for the Female Science Talents Intensive Track 2025, she joined an elite group of 20 “exceptionally talented women” in science from around the globe. Carene’s selection to this…

Dr Sefiyat Odunola Adebiyi (affectionately known as Odun), a recent MSc graduate within the Division of Immunology, is a multi-talented academic whose journey beautifully blends science and creativity. Having originally pursued veterinary studies at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, Odunola made a pivotal transition to the field of human…

Early one Sunday morning in 2024, 26-year-old Leka Mhlophe, a Master’s student within the Animal TB Research Group at the Division of MBHG, woke up to do her laundry, as she usually does. But this Sunday morning would be different.  Just as she came back from putting her clothes in…

The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Stellenbosch University (SU) are pleased to announce the appointment of Associate Professor Mohlopheni Jackson Marakalala as Unit Director of the SU/SAMRC Centre for Tuberculosis Research (CTR), housed within SU’s Department of Biomedical Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Prof…

The Division of Immunology is thrilled to announce that Prof. Clive Gray, head of the Reproductive Immunology Research Consortium in Africa (RIRCA), has been appointed as the President of the Federation of African Immunological Societies (FAIS). Reflecting on this incredible milestone, Prof. Gray shared: “I had the great honour last…

A huge congratulations to Welile Nwamba, a brilliant researcher at the Clinical Mycobactomics and Epidemiology (CLIME) Research Group within the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, for being selected as an awardee of the 2025 Fondation L’Oréal and UNESCO Sub-Saharan Africa Young Talents For Women in Science Regional Programme!…

We are thrilled to celebrate Pamela Ncube, one of the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics’ rising stars, for being named an awardee of the 2025 Fondation L’Oréal and UNESCO Sub-Saharan Africa Young Talents For Women in Science Regional Programme! 🎉 Pamela’s pioneering research focuses on animal tuberculosis, particularly…

Mrs Kimberly Coetzer-Hugo, a PhD candidate within the Division of Immunology, Department of Biomedical Sciences at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Science has been selected as one of seven laureates for the 2024 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science South Africa Young Talent programme. Kimberly is an aspiring bioinformatician…