NEWS SPOTLIGHT

KRISP NEWS

Breaking Barriers, Building Knowledge: Women at CERI

CERI celebrates Women’s Day 2025 by highlighting the impactful work of female scientists and professionals leading projects in bioinformatics, grants management, epidemiological modeling, transdisciplinary research, and microbiome studies. Their expertise drives advancements in public health, pathogen research, and scientific innovation across Africa and beyond.

Making Space for Women to Be Heard in STEM

Dr. Yuri Munsamy, Science Officer at SACEMA, combines her background in virology with grant development to secure funding for research that shapes public health policy in Africa. She champions collaboration, diversity, and mentorship, encouraging young women to embrace curiosity, persistence, and continuous learning in science.

Fuelling Discovery: The Work Behind the Research

Gugulethu Mkhize, Grants Manager at CERI, plays a key role in securing and managing funding that drives impactful scientific research. Passionate about equity and inclusion, she encourages young women to pursue science and seek environments that empower their growth.

From the Amazon to Africa: Genomics With Purpose

Emilyn Costa Conceição, a scientist from the Brazilian Amazon, uses genomics and next-generation sequencing to advance TB diagnostics, antimicrobial resistance research, and public health surveillance in Africa and Brazil. Committed to equity and mentorship, she founded the IGNITE program to empower young women in science and ensure innovation reaches vulnerable communities.

Mentoring, Modelling, and Making it Count

Cari van Schalkwyk, Senior Researcher at SACEMA, applies her expertise in epidemiological modeling to address high-priority infectious diseases, influencing public health policy at national and global levels. Her career reflects a commitment to mentorship, inclusion of women in science, and the translation of complex modeling insights into impactful health interventions.

Women-Led Research for Healthier Futures

Dr. Chanelle Mulopo, a postdoctoral fellow at CERI, researches how extreme weather events affect mental health in vulnerable African communities, using participatory and inclusive methods to center local voices. Motivated by her early experiences with health inequities, she advocates for equity, transdisciplinary collaboration, and empowering women in science.

Creating African Solutions using African Data

Dr. Nonsikelelo Precious Hlongwa, a researcher at CERI’s African Microbiome Project, uses genomics to study pathogens, microbiomes, and antimicrobial resistance in under-resourced settings. Passionate about mentorship and African-led solutions, she inspires young women to embrace resilience, seize opportunities, and lead in science.

PUBLICATIONS SPOTLIGHT

KRISP SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

Tracing the spatial origins and spread of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron lineages in South Africa.
Dor G, Wilkinson E, Martin DP, Moir M, Tshiabuila D, Kekana D, Ntozini B, Joseph R, Iranzadeh A, Nyaga MM, Goedhals D, Maponga T, Maritz J, Laguda-Akingba O, Ramphal Y, MacIntyre C, Chabuka L, Pillay S, Giandhari J, Baxter C, Hsiao NY, Preiser W, Bhiman JN, Davies MA, Venter M, Treurnicht FK, Wolter N, Williamson C, von Gottberg A, Lessells R, Tegally H, de Oliveira T, Nature Communications (2025), 28;16(1):4937. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60081-0:.

Genomic Surveillance of Climate-Amplified Cholera Outbreak, Malawi, 2022–2023.
Chabuka L, Choga W, Mavian C, Moir M, Morgenstern C, Tegaly H, Sharma A, Wilkinson E, Naidoo Y, Inward R, Bhatt S, WilliamWint G, Khan K, Bogoch I, Kraemer M, Lourenço J, Baxter C, Tagliamonte M, Salemi M, Lessells R, Mitambo C, Chitatanga R, Bitilinyu-Bango J, Chiwaula M, Chavula Y, Bukhu M, Manda H, Chitenje M, Malolo I, Mwanyongo A, Mvula B, Nyenje M, de Oliveira T, Kagoli M, Emerging Infectious Diseases (2025), 31(6):. doi: 10.3201/eid3106.240930.:.

Importance of outbreak response research in bridging knowledge gaps on emerging infectious diseases.
Breiman R, Osoro E, Reithinger R, Wang D, Diamond M, Van Voorhis W, Wasserheit J, Rabinowitz P, Mboup S, Hemingway-Foday J, de Oliveira T, Boon A, Schieffelin J, Sempowski G, Moody M, Vasilakis N, Hanley K, Nasimiyu C, Situma S, Ngere I, Kyobe Bosa H, Nyakarahuka L, Bakamutumaho B, Woodson S, Njenga M, BMJ Global Health (2025), 10(6):e018297. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-018297.:.

Artificial intelligence for modelling infectious disease epidemics.
Kraemer M, Tsui J, Chang S, Lytras S, Khurana M, Vanderslott S, Bajaj S, Scheidwasser N, Curran-Sebastian J, Semenova E, Zhang M, Unwin H, Watson O, Mills C, Dasgupta A, Ferretti L, Scarpino S, Koua E, Morgan O, Tegally H, Paquet U, Moutsianas L, Fraser C, Ferguson N, Topol E, Duchêne D, Stadler T, Kingori P, Parker M, Dominici F, Shadbolt N, Suchard M, Ratmann O, Flaxman S, Holmes E, Gomez-Rodriguez M, Schölkopf B, Donnelly C, Pybus O, Cauchemez S, Bhatt S, Nature (2025), 638(8051):623-635. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08564-w.:.

Spatiotemporal disease suitability prediction for Oropouche virus and the role of vectors across the Americas.
Poongavanan J, Dunaiski M, D’or G, Kraemer M, Giovanetti M, Lim A, Brady O, Baxter C, Fonseca V, Alcantara L, de Oliveira T, Tegally H, medRxiv (2025), doi: 10.1101/2025.02.28.25323068.:.

Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 intrahost genetic evolution in vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients from the Kenyan population.
Lugano D, Mwangi K, Mware B, Kibet G, Osiany S, Kiritu E, Dobi P, Muli C, Njeru R, de Oliveira T, Njenga M, Routh A, Oyola S, medRxiv (2025), doi: 10.1101/2025.03.03.25323296.:.

Unveiling novel features and phylogenomic assessment of indigenous Priestia megaterium AB-S79 using comparative genomics.
Adeniji A, Chukwuneme C, Conceição E, Ayangbenro A, Wilkinson E, Maasdorp E, de Oliveira T, Babalola O, Microbiology Spectrum (2025), doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01466-24.:.

KRISP VIDEOS

COVID-19 | News sub-variant being monitored closely
By: Tulio De Oliveira and CERI and KRISP teams

KRISP BIOINFORMATICS TOOLS