Current Students

Anita Kerubo

Anita Kerubo is a graduate researcher with a statistics and data science background. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Statistics and Data Science at Hasselt University in collaboration with the Aga Khan University’s Institute for Human Development. As an ALMA Fellow, she focuses on applying statistical and machine learning methods to study cognitive health in children and adolescents.

Her work includes mixed-methods research, statistical modelling, and AI applications in neuroscience and global health. Anita is passionate about utilising data-driven insights to improve brain health outcomes in Africa.

Anna Janisch

Anna is a Master’s student in the MSc Med (Neuroscience) programme within the department of Neurosurgery at the University of Cape Town, under the supervision of Associate Professor Ursula Rohlwink. She completed her BSc degree in Human Life Sciences and her BSc (Honours) degree in Medical Physiology at Stellenbosch University. Anna is passionate about childhood health and neurodevelopment, with particular interest in understanding the complexity of the human brain and how diseases disrupts its function. Her current research project focuses on paediatric Tuberculous Meningitis (TBM), where she is investigating and validating blood-based biomarkers of brain injury. The goal of her work is to determine whether these biomarkers can support earlier detection of TBM, enabling more timely intervention and improved neurological and neurodevelopmental outcomes for affected children.

Buhlebenkosi Nombewu

Buhlebenkosi is currently pursuing her Master’s in Neuroscience at the University of Cape Town’s Neuroscience Institute, under the supervision of Associate Professor Nynke Groenewold and Dr. Freda Scheffler. Her research focuses on the analysis of structural MRI data from an established adolescent cohort in Cape Town, where she examines brain morphometry in school-going adolescents presenting with anxiety disorders, those with problematic substance use, and a control group. By investigating the potentially compounding effects of anxiety and substance use on the developing brain, her work aims to advance the understanding of neurocognitive development and mental health during adolescence within an African context.

Chisomo Namathanga

Ms Chisomo is pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Paediatric and Child Health at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), under the guidance of Associate Professor Genesis Chorwe (KUHeS) and Dr. Maria Crespo-Llado (University of Liverpool). She holds a BSc in Social Science with a major in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. Her research focuses on exploring the relationship between Executive Functions (EFs) and language skills development in late childhood within the unique socio-economic and cultural context of Malawi. Through this project, Chisomo aims to enhance the understanding of language development and EFs, and to provide insights for early intervention, fostering collaboration among parents, schools, and policymakers.

Dahabo Elema

Dahabo is pursuing a Master of Science in Psychology at Northumbria University, UK, under the supervision of Professor Amina Abubakar and Dr. Japheth Adina. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Nairobi. Dahabo is passionate about early childhood development and has experience in mixed-method research projects. Her study will explore how parenting influences children’s developmental outcomes in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL). She is positive about contributing significantly to the community through research that will generate effective evidence-based interventions to promote children’s developmental outcomes and guide policy changes.

Dinisha Giga

Dinisha is currently pursuing an MSc (Med) Neuroscience (Psychiatry) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), under the supervision of Dr Sheri-Michelle Koopowitz and Dr Catherine Wedderburn. She obtained her BSc degree in Biochemistry and Human Anatomy & Physiology at UCT and her BSc (Honours) degree in Medical Physiology at Stellenbosch University (SU). Her project focuses on investigating the effect of maternal childhood trauma on the brain age gap and its correlation with child developmental outcomes. This is a sub-study of the larger Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS), which seeks to address a critical gap by contributing to the limited body of brainAGE research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the burden of early-life adversity is often higher and its intergenerational impacts remain under-investigated. Dinisha hopes to enhance the understanding of the neurodevelopmental effects of maternal childhood trauma and thus contribute to intervention development that will promote both maternal and child wellbeing in LMICs.

Dorothy Chepkoech

Dorothy is currently pursuing a Masters in Data Science and Statistics at the Hasselt University, under the supervision of Professor Amina Abubakar and Dr Asiya Ayoob. Dorothy holds a Bachelor of Science in statistics and programming from Kenyatta University. She has experience in machine learning, data management and analysis. Her research project focuses on using behavioural predictive models to enhance early identification of disorders of childhood development and interventions. Her research interest is in using data science methodology and machine learning to develop predictive models to identify sources of risk and resilience among at-risk children and adolescents.

Eness Namfukwe

Eness is pursuing a master’s in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Zambia, Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine. Her supervisors are Dr Paul Ravi and Professor Beatrice Matafwali. Her Project focuses on exploring services available to autistic children in Lusaka, Zambia. With this project she aims to shed light on the challenges faced by children with autism in accessing appropriate services in Lusaka and explore potential solutions to improve their quality of life and development.

James kaunda

James is a Master of Philosophy in Paediatrics and Child Health student at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi. His research is supervised by Associate Professor Kondwani Kawaza from Kamuzu University of Health Sciences and Professor Joanne Potterton from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. His research project investigates whether the combined use of easily detectable early biochemical markers of brain inflammation and the General Movements Assessment (GMA) tool can predict neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants. Specifically, he is exploring the association between the concentrations of early biochemical markers of brain inflammation and general movements in children at high risk of cerebral palsy at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi. The primary goal of his research is to identify a cost-effective, accurate, and early diagnostic tool for cerebral palsy in Malawi. This tool aims to facilitate early intervention and treatment, alleviate the uncertainty and fear associated with undiagnosed conditions, prevent unnecessary investigations due to limited resources, and inform epidemiological studies on the prevalence of cerebral palsy.

Joseph Goldblatt

Joseph is currently pursuing an MSc (Med) in Neuroscience at the University of Cape Town (UCT) under the supervision of Dr Lisa Schmors and Prof Joseph Raimondo. Prior to this, Joseph completed a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Philosophy followed by a BSc (Honours) degree in Computer Science, both at UCT. His master’s degree project focuses on modelling the electrophysiological maturation of human synapses and studying the impact that this maturation has on cognitive development. This research is made possible by the unique dataset of patch-clamp recordings from human neurons across a wide range of ages collected at UCT’s Division of Cell Biology. Joseph hopes to contribute to the discipline of computational neuroscience in South Africa and to ultimately produce research useful to uncovering the biological mechanisms that cause neurodegenerative diseases.

Lexie May Timina

Lexie is a genomics scientist whose career began in wet lab genomics before pivoting toward the ethical dimensions of genomics in healthcare. She holds an Honours degree in Human Genetics from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where her project was on Investigating non-Major Histocompatibility genes previously associated with vitiligo in a case of universal vitiligo. This was followed by an internship as a research technologist in genomics at the South African Medical Research Council.

Lexie is committed to promoting equity and inclusivity in the field, focusing on ensuring that genomic science benefits diverse populations. She is currently a Master’s candidate at the University of Cape Town’s Ethics Lab, where her research explores the intersections of genomics and ethics. Her research interests include ethics in genomics, genomic data governance, and the development of equitable health policies that guide the ethical use and dissemination of genomic data in healthcare settings. She is under the supervision of Prof Jantina De Vries, Dr Melissa Nel and Dr Heidi Matisonn.

Outside of her academic work, Lexie enjoys nurturing her many hobbies, including film photography, embroidery, and crocheting. She is passionate about using her skills and scholarship to support the ethical advancement of genomics as a powerful tool for improving healthcare outcomes globally.

Layla Emma Bradford

Ms. Bradford is enrolled in the MSc (Med) in Paediatrics (Neuroscience) program at the University of Cape Town’s Department of Paediatrics and Child Health under the supervision of Professor Kirsty Donald and Dr Catherine Wedderburn. Her project aims to examine the brain structure and functional neurodevelopmental outcomes of children who are HIV-exposed and uninfected (CHEU). Additionally, she seeks to assess the ability of the novel Hyperfine low-field MRI to detect the association between HIV exposure and brain structure, comparing it to the high-field system. Through this project, she aims to contribute to the understanding of optimal maternal HIV management strategies for improving developmental outcomes in the CHEU population. Furthermore, she hopes to underscore the potential of lower-cost neuroimaging technologies in informing neurodevelopmental research within this at-risk population.

Mokgadi Palesa Malema

Palesa is a dedicated master’s candidate at the University of Cape Town’s Ethics Lab, bringing a solid foundation in human genomics to her current studies. Passionate about the intersection of technology and human health, she explores the ethical dimensions of deploying artificial intelligence in genomic research. Her work is driven by a commitment to equity, informed consent, and responsible innovation, with research interests spanning data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the societal impact of emerging biotechnologies. Her supervisors are Prof Jantina De Vries and Dr Heidi Matisonn. Palesa aims to contribute thoughtful, context-sensitive guidance for ethically robust genomic science in South Africa and beyond.

Musonda Mwape

Ms Musonda is a Masters of Clinical Neuropsychology student at the University of Zambia, Department of Psychiatry under the School of Medicine. She is supervised by Dr. Paul Ravi and Professor Beatrice Matafwali. Her project focuses on the risk factors of Autism Spectrum Disorders amongst preschoolers in selected health facilities in Kabwe, Zambia. With this project, she hopes to determine the risk factors associated with Autism Spectrum disorders in Kabwe and gain a general overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders prevalence.

Neville Varney-Horwitz

Neville is currently pursuing his Master’s in Neuroscience at the University of Cape Town’s Neuroscience Institute. Building on his background in Computer Science, his thesis will investigate the automatic detection of motion artifacts in ultra low-field MRI. Such technology is being increasingly adopted across the African continent and a favourable research outcome would aid in fewer scans needing to be discarded – benefitting researchers and clinicians alike. Neville hopes to go beyond the pure research element of the thesis and leverage his software engineering experience by producing a module that can be readily implemented in the control room. Outside of his academic pursuits, Neville can either be found navigating the slopes of Table Mountain, eroding his joints on the squash court or tinkering with programming projects.

Nimo Jamal

Nimo is an ALMA master’s student currently pursuing her masters in a clinical psychology at United States International University Africa, under the supervision of Professor Amina Abubakar and Dr Japheth Adina. She has a background in counselling and psychology from Africa Nazarene University and KCA University in Nairobi. Nimo is Passionate about mental health and advocating for a holistic approach. She has worked at the Aga Khan University as a research assistant on several mental health and adolescent projects. She is currently supporting a project called AKILI, which aims to understand the genetic and phenotypic contexts of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Through this project, she hopes to contribute to the development of more effective, personalized treatments for ADHD across Africa.

Nwabisa Mlandu

Nwabisa completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the Department of Psychology at UCT. She recently qualified as a neuropsychologist. Her research interests lie in neuroethics, cross-cultural neuropsychology and neurotechnology, epilepsy, and improving quality of life in people living with neurodegenerative diseases. Her project is focused on; Examining Research Equity in Neuroscience Research Collaborations. She is under the supervision of Prof Jantina De Vries, Dr Heidi Matisonn and Dr Marlyn Faure. In her spare time she enjoys painting, listening to music, visiting museums and art galleries as well as watching series.

Providence Nindi

Providence is a Master of Philosophy student, enrolled at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KuHeS) under the department of pediatric and child health care. She is being supervised by Prof Eric Umar and Dr Wisdom Nakanga. She has a social science background, and her interests are in maternal mental health and neurodevelopment in children. Her project is looking at maternal experience of intimate partner violence during pregnancy and how it affects neurodevelopmental outcomes of children. She also seeks to look at other social and environmental factors that can affect early neurodevelopment in children.

Richard Nkhata

Richard Nkhata is a Master of Science student in Public Mental Health Care at Kamuzu College of Health Sciences (KUHES), Malawi. He is supervised by Mr. Anthony Sefasi (KUHES) and Dr. Teresa Del Bianco (London Metropolitan University).

His research interests are focused on the neural and cognitive development of children. Richard aims to explore how various stimuli impact brain activity and cognitive functions in young children, with a particular interest in the dynamics of frontal theta EEG power. He also seeks to understand how EEG theta activity is associated with cognitive behaviour measures. His goal is to enhance the understanding of typical brain development, contributing to the early identification and intervention strategies for children at risk of poor cognitive outcomes, particularly in African contexts such as Malawi.

Sandra Wanda

Sandra is a master’s student at the University of Zambia, department of educational psychology, sociology and special education. She’s being supervised by Professor Beatrice Matafwali and Dr Paul Ravi. Her Project focuses on Awareness and Action: A prevalence analysis of autism spectrum disorders among school aged children in Zambia. With this project, she hopes to assess the current prevalence rate of Autism Spectrum Disorders among school aged children in Zambia.

Sylvia Omoke

Sylvia is pursuing an Msc. Public Health (Global Health) at the University of wolverhampton, under the supervision of Professor Amina Abubakar and Ass. Professor Dr Vibian Angwenyi. Sylvia has a background training in Bsc Nursing from the University of Nairobi, and a postgraduate diploma in Health Research Methods from Pwani University. With her project, she seeks to understand the experiences and challenges of parents with children with ASD and Neurodevelopmental disorders in accessing care (care-seeking pathways). Her research interests lie in maternal and child health.

Syuri Yogolingam

Syuri is a Master of Neuroscience student at the University of Cape Town. She has a BA in psychology and an Honours degree in Psychology from the University of the Witwatersrand. Her current research focuses on investigating the association between early-life modifiable risk factors and the development of dementia in adulthood. She is passionate about unravelling the intricate workings of the brain to better understand neurodegenerative disorders, with the goal of exploring the underlying mechanisms to contribute to the development of effective interventions. She will be supervised by Dr Catherine Wedderburn and Dr Monika Kamkuemah.

Thelma Mulimbika

Thelma is a master’s student at the University of Zambia, Department of Educational Psychology, Sociology and Special Education in the School of Education. She is being supervised by Professor Beatrice Matafwali and Dr. Simalalo Magdalene. Her research focus is on Assessing teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards Dyslexia and how these influence their classroom practices in Zambian schools. The goal of her research is to help teachers improve ways of identifying early indicators of dyslexia among school going children in classroom environment, improve teaching strategies and support for leaners with dyslexia.