Research Career and Focus
After graduating PhD (Microbiology), I persued postdoctoral research fellowship positions at the University of KwaZulu Natal and Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa. This is where I embarked in the research field of "how medicinal plants/natural products can be used to attenuate bacterial infections".
Hence, my current research interest at the University of Pretoria focuses on "investigating the potential quorum quenching strategy to mitigagte bacterial infections using natural products (plants and microorganisms). The research was provoked initially by learning that there is an increasing acknowledgement of traditional medicine and indigenous knowledge systems. In addition, there is a global emerging problem of antibiotic reistance. High levels of tolerance in bacterial pathogens and high levels of resistance are prevalent within the public sector in SA.
I have contributed to scientific knowledge through publishing a few research articles (~16 papers) in reputed journals such as Marine Drugs and Molecules, with high impact factor in in the field of Microbiology and contributed sharing at different conferences (nationally and abroad). I am supervising and co-supervising a number of postgraduates.
I am serving as a member of South African Society of Microbiology (SASM), Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS), Organisation for Woman in Science for the Developing World (OWSD-SA Chapter), and participating under Structured Training for African Researchers (STARS, 2017).
Current Goal: Furthering research, training and strive to make a significant positive impact not only for my career but to ther young upcoming researchers.