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UKZN’ s Leading HIV Scientist is an NSTF Finalist

July 24, 2012

Professor Thumbi Ndung’u

The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) Professor Thumbi Ndung’u (PhD), an Associate Professor in HIV/AIDS Research and Director of the HIV Pathogenesis Programme (HPP) at the University’s College of Health Sciences, has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious NSTF-BHP Billiton awards in the category, “ To a Researcher, for an outstanding contribution to SETI through Research Capacity Development over the last 5 to 10 years – sponsored by ESKOM”.

Professor Ndung’u holds the South African Research Chair in Systems Biology of HIV/AIDS at UKZN. He was co-chair of the Young and Early Career Investigators Committee (YECIC) of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise and played a key role in the formulation of the Enterprise’s 2010 Scientific Strategic Plan. He is a member of the scientific advisory board of the Southern African Consortium for Research Excellence (SACORE) and is a member of the African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP) Technical Working Group on Capacity Building and Research. More recently, Professor Ndung’u was the recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s inaugural international early career scientist award worth R6 million.

At the HPP he is leading a multidisciplinary team of researchers working in the fields of HIV and TB pathogenesis and vaccine development. Ndung’u has a special interest in capacity building for biomedical research in Africa. The winners will be announced on Thursday 21 June by Minister Naledi Pandor Minister of Science and Technology.

For original article, please go to UKZN news.

Maryann Francis