BREAKING BARRIERS, BUILDING KNOWLEDGE

Celebrating some of CERI’s Inspiring Women

At the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation, many of the projects and breakthroughs taking place are being led and supported by dedicated female scientists and researchers.

Aligning with Women’s Day and Women’s Month 2025, we are celebrating a few of these inspiring women to learn more about their roles, what brought them into science, and how they see their work making a difference – both within CERI and beyond.

Dr Nonsikelelo Precious Hlongwa

Let’s find out a bit more about Dr Nonsikelelo Precious Hlongwa, Dr Cari van Schalkwyk, Dr Yuri Munsamy, Dr Chanelle Mulopo, Mrs Gugulethu Mkhize, and Dr Emilyn Costa Conceição.

Dr Nonsikelelo Precious Hlongwa grew up in a semi-rural community in Mpumalanga, where she witnessed how health challenges, especially preventable diseases, affected many of her family members – including her parents. She explains that this sparked a deep curiosity about microbes, water, and health. “Even though I had limited access to labs, libraries, or even computers in school, I worked twice as hard to catch up,” says Nonsie. “My passion grew through each academic step, and led to a PhD focused on molecular detection of pathogens in wastewater.”