IDM CPD-ACCREDITED SEMINAR: Beyond the Barrier: Driving Discovery in High Containment Pathogen Research An inside look at the IDM’s Biosafety Level 3 research platform

Selisha Naidoo, BSc (cum laude), BSc Hons (cum laude), MSc, is a microbiologist and research operations specialist with expertise in biorisk management, infectious diseases, and high-containment laboratory design.

At 25, she was appointed to oversee the Clinical Mycobacteriology and Epidemiology (CLIME) biomedical research laboratory at Stellenbosch University, where she co-authored research on improved diagnostics for Tuberculosis (TB), and the role of the microbiome in TB pathogenesis. She also formed part of the laboratory design team for the cutting-edge Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI).

Selisha then joined the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) where she currently heads the Institute’s laboratory operations team. In this role, she oversees operational management and biorisk compliance across 56 laboratories and core technology platforms, including direct management of the IDM’s core biosafety level 3 facilities. With extensive expertise in high containment engineering, Selisha also leads the project design and implementation for new research facilities. She played a pivotal role in developing a Global Research Agenda on Biorisk Management and is currently spearheading the IDM’s ‘Sustainable Science Initiative’, focussed on green lab certification and the implementation of solar power across the Institute.