Professor Wanda Markotter
Biography
Professor Wanda Markotter holds a PhD in Virology and started her academic career at the University of Pretoria (UP), South Africa, in 2004. She is currently the Director of the Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences. Since January 2016, she has been a DSI-NRF South African Research Chair in "Infectious Diseases of Animals (Zoonoses)“, and in 2021, she was also appointed as a Research Chair in People, Health and Places (One Health) at the Future Africa Institute at UP to promote inter and transdisciplinary research within the university and in Africa. She also served as the co-chair of the One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) advising the WHO, WOAH, FAO and UNEP.
She is a virologist leading a successful research programme on understanding spillover of bat pathogens. Her research is supported by several multi-collaborative national and international bio surveillance programme and her role and leadership in national governmental and international expert committees. As a result of her interdisciplinary research expertise, she is also leading broader One Health national and international initiatives with a specific focus on the Prevention of Pandemics, including active participation in the science-policy interphase.
She has also recently been selected by the Lancet Commission to lead the working group on scientific evidence to prevent pandemics. Outputs include over 100 publications, keynote presentations at prominent international conferences, several popular press and education contributions and articles. She contributes significantly to capacity building; more than 60 postgraduate students have graduated under her supervision.