Present Staff

Email: darrenpatrickmartin@gmail.com Phone: +27 21 406 6837 List of publications

Darren Martin obtained his PhD from the University of Cape Town in 2001 and is now an associate professor at CBIO. He is the lead developer of the computer program RDP4 that is widely used for analysing genetic recombination and has been actively pursuing both computational and wet-lab based research aimed at defining the adaptive value of recombination and the evolutionary constraints under which it operates.

Email: nicki.tiffin@uct.ac.za List of publications

Nicki Tiffin has worked previously in molecular genetics, molecular oncology and molecular endocrinology. She transitioned into the field of medical genomics and bioinformatics, and works in computational approaches to the genetic basis of disease in African populations; as well as ethical issues relating to research and re-use of data from African populations. She completed a Masters in Public Health specialising in Epidemiology, and worked with the Western Cape Government Health Department to assist with developing infrastructure, processes and governance structures for integrating clinical informatics and medical records into a health information exchange (P.I. Prof Andrew Boulle). In January 2018, Nicki joined the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa) and Computational Biology. She is working in data integration, leads an H3ABioNet node for developing capacity in genetic epidemiology, and continues to collaborate with the Provincial Health Data Centre.

Email: gerrit.botha@uct.ac.za Phone: +27 21 406 6390

Gerrit Botha is a Bioinformatics engineer at the Computational Biology division of the University of Cape Town. His background is electronic engineering but gained experience in bioinformatics whilst working as a software developer at the division. His area of expertise is in human variant analysis, microbial analysis and bioinformatics compute environment and pipeline design.

Email: tendayi.mutangadura@uct.ac.za Phone: +27 21 406 6390

Tendayi began working with H3aBionet as a REDCap Database Developer in June 2022. Prior to working for UCT, he spent six years as an implementation specialist traveling all over Africa for an NGO that specialized in developing digital health systems. He has a wealth of experience with eHealth and digital health system implementation, deployments, training, and support. He graduated from Midlands State University with a BSc (Hons) in Information Systems and from the University of the Western Cape with a Mcomm in Information Management (Health). His research interests are digital health, eHealth and Health Information Systems (HIS) systems focusing on mobile Health (mHealth) applications for pregnant women. His masters thesis research focused on the adoption of momConnect mobile application for pregnant women is South Africa.

Email: suresh.maslamoney@uct.ac.za Phone: +27 021 406 6390

Suresh Maslamoney is a techie at heart and has experience in system and network administration as well as in designing and developing ICT infrastructure. Suresh joined CBIO in February 2013 as a systems administrator and is tasked with developing and providing support on the core computational infrastructure for the CBIO and the H3ABioNet consortium. Prior to joining CBIO, Suresh spent 3 years in the UK working in various ICT posts before returning to RSA where he joined the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI). At SATVI Suresh was responsible for managing the IT section and all ICT related technical matters.

Email: ayton@cbio.uct.ac.za Phone: +27 21 406 6390

Ayton Meintjes is a Bioinformatics software engineer at CBIO. He completed a BSc in Computer Science at the University of Pretoria, and after a period of development in the commercial field, returned to do a BSc (Hons) with specialisation in Bioinformatics. In 2008, he joined the CBIO Group at UCT and has collaborated on projects mostly focusing on human population genetics and genome wide association studies. He is currently part of the H3ABioNet Central Node, taking active part in the Infrastructure, Research, Node Assessment and User Support groups. His current research interests are in visualisation of complex biological datasets, workflow integration and computational challenges posed by the large databases produced by modern sequencing technologies.

Email: perceval.maturure@uct.ac.za Phone: +27 21 406 6390

Perceval joined CBIO as a Software Developer in 2021. He has served several roles which include Website and database-driven application development, IT Management, Tutoring Programming, and Mathematics. He is passionate about the use of Software, Database Technologies for scientific research and enthusiastic about data analysis. He is currently studying a PGDip in Cybersecurity (part-time) with the University of Cape Town in the School of Information Technology.

Email: siddiqah.george@uct.ac.za Phone: +27 21 406 6390

Siddiqah obtained an MScMedSc in Medical Physiology (cum laude) from Stellenbosch University, before joining the University of Cape Town as a DST/NRF intern in the Division of Human Genetics. As an intern, she was part of a research team which investigated a founder mutation in the MYO7A gene which is causative in Usher syndrome. Subsequently, Siddiqah has gained valuable management skills (as the OROBOROS O2k-Network Manager in South Africa) as well as facilitation and coordination skills (as a UCT facilitator and course coordinator). She now wishes to apply these skills, and other competencies, during her appointment as Training Programme Manager.

Email: sindi.lukhele@uct.ac.za Phone: +27 21 406 6390

Sindiswa Lukhele is a Training and Outreach Coordinator at H3ABioNet, University of Cape Town. She holds an MSc degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of the Witwatersrand. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the University of the Witwatersrand. In 2016, she was selected as a participant of the H3ABioNet IBT program, which harnessed her love for bioinformatics. Her interests include maternal and infant health, microbial genomics, and bioinformatics education in Africa.

Email: tshinakaho.malesa@uct.ac.za Phone: +27 21 406 6390

Tshinakaho Malesa is currently a Training and Outreach Coordinator at CBIO. Tshinakaho completed her MSc in Genetics at University of Kwa-Zulu Natal with a background in conservation and population genetics. Previously, Tshinakaho has worked as a Technical Officer at Stellenbosch University where she managed a molecular biology laboratory and was involved in the teaching and training of undergraduate and postgraduate students in molecular techniques. Tshinakaho is passionate about teaching, the upskilling of early career scientists and the empowerment of Black women in science. She is a global shaper and member of Tshwane Hub Global Shapers – a not-for-profit organisation that focuses on youth and community development through impactful initiatives.

Email: anwani.siwada@uct.ac.za Phone: +27 21 406 6390

Anwani holds a MSc in Human Genetics from Stellenbosch University, with a special interest in pharmacogenomics in Africa. Her journey into bioinformatics has sparked a desire to support others on similar paths, leading her to her role as a training coordinator. Recognizing the constant opportunity for personal development, Anwani values the insight gained from interacting with others' experiences.

Rolanda Julius is completing a PhD with the University of Pretoria. Her research interests include zoonotic disease ecology, parasitology and molecular phylogenetics. She has experience in teaching molecular techniques and is dedicated to promoting public health awareness and life science education.

Email: lxxyiq001@myuct.ac.za Phone: +27 21 406 6390

Tony holds a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry and attained a first-class academic career. The different networks and people remain a great source of inspiration for Tony. He frequently attends networking events to surround himself with like-minded people who inspire and motivate him within the industry. He also enjoys meeting new people to see different ideas and knowledge.

Email: pertunia.mutheiwana@uct.ac.za Phone: +27 21 406 6390

Pertunia is passionate about the curriculum and psychology aspect of education. Considering this, she has the following qualifications from the University of Cape Town (UCT): Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), an Honours degree (first-class pass) in Curriculum Development, and a Masters degree in Educational Psychology (distinction in the dissertation). She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology also at UCT. Her current position as a Curriculum Administrator for H3ABionet offers her the opportunity to develop a Genomic Medicine Curriculum. Thereby, allowing her to use and refine her curriculum development skills. Furthermore, Pertunia holds a Bachelor of Sciences (BSc) undergraduate degree from the University of Limpopo, specializing in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. She is a proud single mother to an incredibly awesome teenage girl who made her realize her passion for education. Pertunia uses her passion to make a difference in the lives of ordinary members of the public. For example, during her teaching career, she took an amazing leadership position and coached special needs learners to participate in a national competition which is considered by many to be for 'regular' learners only. She is proud to announce that one of her learners and herself was crowned the competition's winners. Furthermore, she is a proud owner of an educational YouTube channel called Ama & Peeps that drives thought-provoking conversations to create unity and change in society. Once she has completed her Ph.D., Pertunia plans to open a school to give back to her community.

Email: nontobeko.nyandeni@uct.ac.za

Nontobeko Nyandeni is currently doing her BCom Honours in Finance from the University of the Western Cape. She began her current position of Financial Administrator for H3ABioNet in May 2018. Her experience in the financial management sector spans more than half a decade. In her leisure time she likes books, podcasts and/or exercising. Nontobeko is quite elated and honoured to be working with such a big project that spans across the continent of Africa. The H3ABioNet project has a powerful synergy with her passion to see Africa develop, financially and otherwise. She is anticipating challenges and growth over the next few years while working with different members in the network.

Email: verena.ras@uct.ac.za

Verena holds an MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and is passionate about science education. Her expertise lies in the fields of taxonomy and conservation genetics. Her previous work focused on resolving the taxonomic status of three species of Chrysaora jellyfish along the southern African coast line and in the process discovered a new species Chrysaora agulhensis sp. nov. (Ras et al. in submission) and assisted in the discovery of another Catostylus sp. nov (Moodaley et al. in submission). She is currently enrolled as a PhD student at UWC and hopes to provide valuable information on the population biology and genetic connectivity of scyphozoan jellyfish along the West and East African coast line, with the aim of barcoding these species and developing microsattelites for the problematic Chrysaora fulgida which wreaks havoc along the west African coastline on an annual basis. She hopes to further refine and develop her skills in these areas while at H3ABioNet.

Email: kirstyleegarson@gmail.com

Introduction

Email: michelle.skelton@uct.ac.za

Michelle Skelton did her undergraduate training at the University of the Western Cape. After completing her Master's degree researching Oesophageal Cancer and the Role of Tumour Suppressor Genes, she was employed as a Research Officer at the University of Witwatersrand, in the Department of Molecular Hepatology. Her PhD explored the role of Hepatitis B Virus genome variation in liver cancer. This was followed by short research projects in HIV diversity at the University of Cape Town, where she subsequently enrolled for a post-doctoral research fellowship with Professor Dandara’s Pharmacogenomics Group in the Division of Human Genetics UCT. During this period, Michelle was particularly interested in the role of virus restriction genes and how variation in these genes between various ethnicities may contribute to differences in the prevalence of HIV infection. Currently, Michelle is the H3Africa Project Manager. The Human Heredity and Health in H3Africa (H3Africa) Consortium is jointly funded by the NIH and Wellcome Trust and supports 26 Research Sites in Africa. Through supporting cutting edge genomics research in infectious and communicable disease, and ethics, the project aims to build capacity and improve health in Africa.