CERI: Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation

We congratulate Prof de Oliveira on receiving the Presidential Order of Mapungubwe in Gold, South Africa's highest civilian honour, awarded by President .

This recognition reflects more than two decades of work building Africa's capacity to detect, track, and respond to infectious disease threats. As Prof de Oliveira said himself: "This was a team effort."

A proud moment for CERI, , KRISP, and African science. 🌍🎉

🔗 Full statement: https://ceri.africa/news/

The conversation about AI in South Africa is moving fast. But beyond the hype, what does the future of discovery actually look like, and what does it mean for this country?

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠, 𝐨𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬?

The Stellenbosch University Industry Dinner Series is coming to Sandton on Thursday, 4 June 2026, to tackle exactly that.

The evening brings together alumni and industry leaders for panel discussions, speed-networking, and dinner, with Prof Tulio de Oliveira (Pro-Vice-Chancellor, SU) and Prof Kanshukan Rajaratnam (Director, School for Data Science and Computational Thinking) leading the discussion.

Register: https://quicket.co.za/events/373613-industry-dinner-series-science-medicine-and-health-sciences/ #/

Message us for a complimentary ticket

Thursday, 4 June 2026 | 18:00 | Protea Hotel Balalaika, Maude Street, Sandton

"If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it is that depending on the rest of the world to solve our health problems is a vulnerability we can no longer ignore."

Congratulations to the Dr on being awarded a three-year NRF grant to build the automation systems that make vaccine production in Africa faster, more reliable, and less dependent on imported materials.

When young African scientists are supported to lead, the entire continent's health future shifts.

As we commemorate , we celebrate the young African scientists who are turning the continent's challenges into homegrown solutions.

Kennedy Mulungu is developing alginate-based biodegradable sanitary pads and wound dressings through his Kelp Alginate project, with plans to commercialise in Malawi.

As Kennedy puts it: "Science must move beyond research into sustainable enterprises capable of creating meaningful impact."

At CERI, capacitating the next generation of African innovators is at the heart of what we do through the African STARS Fellowship, in partnership with the
and

Congratulations to Kennedy on being selected as one of only 10 young innovators from more than 900 applicants to attend the UN Science, Technology and Innovation Forum in New York earlier this year.
Read more: https://ceri.africa/news/african-innovation-with-global-impact/

The next outbreak probably isn't random. It's connected to how we farm, how we interact with wildlife, and how we change landscapes. AgroEcoHealth is an international initiative combining genomics, ecology, and community participation to understand exactly those links, and farmers in Panama are already contributing, sharing knowledge about using guinea fowl for tick control and native plants as mosquito repellents that is now shaping the research itself. The ambition: shift infectious disease science from reacting to outbreaks toward predicting them. This is the kind of work CERI's programme, led by Prof Carla Mavian, was built for.

Read more: https://ceri.africa/news/why-one-health-cannot-be-optional/

Behind every high-functioning research institution is someone who ensures the operations actually work. Procurement, compliance, grants, student support, audit readiness; she holds it all together, quietly and expertly.

At CERI, that person is Zethu Luthuli.

With over 15 years of experience in research operations, Zethu is a cornerstone of how CERI functions day to day. Yesterday, she graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Business Analysis from .africa , while simultaneously completing her Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management.

Congratulations, Zethu. CERI is proud of you.

What does it take to turn genomic data into real-world public health action?
Gerald has spent his career answering that question. As a Senior Data Engineer at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, his work spans whole-genome sequencing, bioinformatics pipelines, and genomic surveillance across Africa, with a particular focus on antimicrobial resistance and pathogen transmission in low-resource settings.

At 2024, he brought that expertise into the classroom, leading hands-on training in next-generation sequencing analysis and showing participants how to move from raw data to actionable public health insight.
The skills built in that room do not stay there. Collaborations form, networks grow, and the science keeps moving.
Read the full story on , links in the comments section

Applications for are now closed: veme.climade.health

Still on the look out 👀

a Senior Project at CERI-

Behind every breakthrough is a team that makes it possible. At CERI, you’ll be the financial backbone supporting a team of scientists and researchers driving Africa’s epidemic response.
If you have a strong background in research funding, international donor compliance, and grant financial management, this role was built for you.

📍 Stellenbosch | 📄 3-year contract | ⏳ Closes 13 May 2026

Full details and application link : su.ac.za/en/careers-su

With every outbreak, the message is clear: surveillance capacity, genomic tools, and the people trained to use them are not optional. They are essential.
That is exactly why we hosted the VirCapSeq-VERT Workshop at this past week. From wet-lab sequencing to bioinformatics, scientists and public health professionals built skills that go straight back into their health systems.
Science moves forward through collaboration. This group reminded us exactly why.