I am global health practitioner working with the Molecular Epidemiology for Vaccination Policy project, providing accessible information about meningitis in a web-based platform. Prior to that, I worked as a general practitioner and clinical coordinator for the Invasive Bacterial and Acute Respiratory Infections Unit at the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM) in Mozambique.

I have recently graduated with a master’s in International Health and Tropical Medicine at the University of Oxford and I have a degree in medicine by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. I am interested in global health issues, tropical diseases and epidemiology.

Ms Nomcazululo Ncube

I completed my MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine at the University of Oxford (2020) as a Weidenfeld and Hoffmann scholar. I did my BSc Psychology Honours Degree at the Midlands State University in Zimbabwe. During my master’s degree I conducted a research on the impact of Covid-19 public health response measures on HIV service delivery. I joined the Maiden Lab as an African Research fellow for the Molecular Epidemiology for Vaccination Policy (MEVacP) project. My role includes developing public health information for the MEVacP website. I have worked in Zimbabwe as public health practitioner with various non-governmental organisations that include Oxfam, World Vision, Care International and Mercy Corps in which I  provided technical support in responding to infectious disease outbreaks and natural disasters.

Research Interests

• Health systems and policy research
• Infectious diseases
• Antimicrobial Resistance
• Surveillance, evidence synthesis and public health information dissemination

My research interests range from population genetics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to outer membrane vesicles and social evolution. I am currently undertaking a DPhil where I will be studying Neisseria gonorrhoeae to explore how we can apply population genetics to better describe bacterial population structure, and its relationship with AMR, in order to inform the development of tools for profiling AMR genotypes at the point of care.

Brian Greenwood has spent 50 years carrying out research in Africa. Through his simple but high-quality methods for clinical studies and field trials of drugs and vaccines he reinvented field research in tropical medicine. His work has led the way in seeking holistic solutions based on cutting-edge science as well as a genuine understanding of the complex eco-system and real-life challenges unique to Africa.

My research focuses on understanding how changes in bacterial population structure impact on global health and vaccine initiatives. I am especially interested in bacteria that are major causes of diseases like meningitis and pneumonia, the most important of which is Streptococcus pneumoniae. 

The Maiden Lab currently holds a collaborative project grant from the National Institute for Health Research with Angela, titled 'Molecular Epidemiology for Vaccination Policy (MEVACP).

In my laboratory we aim to understand how protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in bacteria underpin signalling within the cell envelope and cytoplasm, how changes in the environment modify these interactions to elicit different cellular responses and how such interactions are subverted by antibacterial proteins to catalyse their import into the cell. We study PPIs from a number of bacteria but predominantly from the model Gram-negative organism Escherichia coli. 

The Maiden Lab currently holds a collaborative research grant with Colin, funded by the Wellcome Trust, titled: 'Protein Antibiotics: Discovery, mode of action and development'.