Dr Claire Whitaker

Claire joined CIDRI-Africa as Communications Manager in March 2018. She has a background in biological research and extensive experience as a project officer and science communicator.

Before joining CIDRI-Africa, Claire worked at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) for several years, in the HIV Prevention Research Unit as a Science Writer, and then at the Cancer Research Initiative of South Africa (SAMRC/CANSA), where she managed the grant application, review and assessment process, as well as producing and managing social media and website content. She joined the SAMRC Grants and Scholarships Administration Division as Scientific Review Officer and Science Communicator, and continued similar work in positions in the Africa Office of the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.

Claire holds a PhD in Biology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal on the seed biology and pathology of Welwitschia mirabilis, the national plant of Namibia.