Miss Nkosazana Shange is a new M.MedSc. student at the University of the Free State-Next Generation Sequencing (UFS-NGS) Unit, under the supervision of Prof. Martin Nyaga and Dr. Nigel Makoah. In 2020, she obtained her undergraduate BSc degree majoring in Biochemistry and Human Anatomy & Physiology from the University of Cape Town (UCT). Thereafter, in 2021, she undertook her Honours degree (Infectious Diseases and Immunology) from the Faculty of Health Sciences, UCT. Miss Shange is a passionate and driven M.MedSci student, who is thrilled to join this trailblazing team at the UFS-NGS Unit and looking forward to contributing to the critical work of improving the health of those affected by viral induced enteric diseases in Africa.

She is eager to learn NGS techniques, with particular focus and link on the Sequencing and Antigenic Cartography of Enteric Viruses (SACEV). With the guidance of Prof. Nyaga, she is confident of growing exponentially in this field. Miss Shange is upfront to appreciate the reception and warm welcome from her new colleagues/peers at the UFS-NGS Unit and is positive that they have a conducive environment that would support her research development to attain her full potential as an emerging young African scholar and researcher. She is looking forward to this incredible journey with a lot of optimism and hopes to push the boundaries of what’s possible in genomic surveillance and working together with the team at the UFS-NGS Unit in this incredible journey.