The IDM Junior Research Fellow (JRF) scheme
| 31 July 2023 | STORY CHRISTLE DE BEER |
To support early-career researchers with an intentional transformation focus, the IDM Junior Research Fellow (JRF) scheme was launched. Its main purpose is to support the career-pathing of next-generation black South African researchers who are nurtured and well-supported on their path to independence.
Recognising the transformation imperative and the need to develop creative ways to retain South Africans with relevant research and, or postdoctoral experience, the University of Cape Town's (UCT) Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) launched the IDM Junior Research Fellow (JRF) scheme.
Under this scheme, two-year fellowships for black South Africans are being funded by the IDM, with the strategic intent of facilitating the career-pathing of promising young black South African researchers. Modelled on the scheme implemented by the UCT Research Office, the IDM JRF scheme requires co-sponsorship of the Fellow by one IDM Member and another academic, based anywhere at UCT. By positioning the JRF in this way, this scheme has the added advantage of stimulating collaboration. Two awards have been made and taken up by Dr Michael Zulu and Dr Vuyani Moses.
Michael Zulu
Co-sponsored by IDM Member Prof Wendy Burgers and Prof Ntobeko Ntusi, Michael will be tackling the
burden of infectious diseases in the continent through research and teaching. As a young South African, he has witnessed first-hand the devastation caused by infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and TB in communities. With an appreciation of the importance of biomedical science research in the fight against these diseases, he believes that his work as an academic researcher in infectious disease pathogenesis will contribute significantly in preventing their spread and in the development of interventions that will help alleviate these diseases in communities.
Of the IDM JRF scheme Dr Zulu says: “I strongly believe that this is a great initiative that will serve as a major stepping stone for young researchers like myself to develop into fully-fledged independent researchers. Sustainable institutional support is crucial for young researchers. I believe that continued material support will give young researchers confidence and ensure success in their work.”
Vuyani Moses
Vuyani is co-sponsored by IDM Members Prof Muazzam Jacobs and Dr Joseph Raimondo as will be applying his skills as a bioinformatician to a multi-disciplinary project. The work he is involved in seeks to understand the genetic expression profile of the brain of mice infected with TB. This involves the
combination of wet lab experiments as well as the bioinformatics computational analysis which seek quantify and analyse the expression data under various TB infection conditions. According to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, South Africa is one of 30 high burden countries contributing 87% of all TB incident cases in the world. Adding to this is the fact that SA is one of the top 14 countries with the highest burden of TB, TB/HIV co-infection, and multidrug drug resistant TB. It is therefore essential to better understand the mechanisms that drive this disease.
“It is absolutely important to grant upcoming researchers the opportunity to showcase their skills and abilities. It is equally important to allow young researchers the opportunity to provide a fresh perspective to address various research-based challenges” – says Dr Moses of the IDM JRF award.
IDM Director, Prof Valerie Mizrahi adds that, “This is a particularly exciting initiative for the IDM. Investing in promising early-career researchers who are jointly mentored through interdisciplinary collaboration between IDM members and other academics at UCT is one way in which we are contributing to growing the next-generation of scientists. Our focus on black South Africans reflects our commitment to transformation as one of the stated values of the IDM. I greatly look forward to following the career progression of Michael and Vuyani.”
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