Biography

I have always been interested in the underlying mechanisms of disease, particularly cancer. After my undergraduate degree at Rhodes University, a small university in a small town in South Africa, I needed to decide between chemistry and biochemistry for my postgraduate endeavours; even though I love biochemistry, I opted for chemistry, as it allowed me to explore diseases (and other topics) with a molecular approach and left a few more doors open. Over the course of my undergraduate degree and postgraduate research, this interest has been ignited and has ultimately developed into an insatiable hunger to understand more. I will now be doing my PhD with a broader focus encompassing both chemistry and biochemistry. This project will investigate the effect that Glioblastoma Multiforme (malignant brain tumours) has on the surrounding extracellular matrix within brain tissue, in order to enhance its progression and invasion. Once the mechanism of the disease has been mapped out, an intelligent molecular intervention can be designed. I am just delighted about what this opportunity has to offer me in my quest for knowledge, filling the research gap, sharing my love for science and combatting this devastating disease.

Previous Education

Rhodes University Chemistry 2023
Rhodes University Chemistry 2022
Rhodes University Chemistry and Biochemistry 2021