Post-doctoral Fellows
Dr Eman Teer
Email: emanteer@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: MBChB and PhD
Research Focus: HIV-mediated CVD (cardiac fibrosis), HIV immunology, immune cells response and immune dysregulation, and flow cytometry
Host: Prof. Faadiel Essop
Dr Taahirah Boltman
Email: 27780171@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Medical Biosciences (UWC); BSc Medical Biosciences (Hons); MSc Nanosciences (Cum Laude (UWC); PhD Medical Biosciences (UWC)
Research Focus: Altered mitochondrial function and HIV-associated
cardiometabolic disease in populations from South Africa and
Kenya (MITO-SAKen).
Host: Prof Hans Strijdom
Dr Jeffery Adoga
Email: adogaj@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Medical Physiology); Msc (Physiology) and PhD Health Sciences (Physiology)
Research Focus: Altered mitochondrial function and HIV-associated
cardiometabolic disease in populations from South Africa and
Kenya (MITO-SAKen).
Host: Prof Hans Strijdom
Dr Megan Cairns
Email: 20212224@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: .Bsc (Biology); BSc Hons (Physiological Sciences); Msc (Physiological Sciences, Cum Laude) and PhD (Medical Physiology)
Research Focus: The effects of chronic stress on cardiovascular function.
Host: Prof. Faadiel Essop
PhD
Joshua Matthee
Email: 19382650@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Human Life Science); BSc (Hons) (Medical Physiology) and MSc(Medical Physiology) and MSc (Medical Pysiology)
Project: Characterising the effects and underlying mechanisms of mitochondrial-targeted, orientin enriched nanoparicles (NPs) in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
Supervisor: Dr Gerald Maarman and co-supervisor Dr Admire Dube
Hannah Fokkens
Email: 21992649@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BMedSci (Physiology-Cum Laude); BSc Hons (Medical Physiology-Cum Laude) and MSc(Medical Physiology-Cum Laude)
Project: Genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation signitures and the risk of developing hypertension in a South African population
Supervisor: Prof. Rabia Johnson and co-superviso Dr Jyoti Sharma and Prof. Hans Strijdom
Vuyolwethu Mbombela
Email: vuyolm@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Medical Sciences), BSc Hons (Medical Sciences) and MSc (Physiological Sciences)
Project: Characterizing and comparing the effects of Olanzapine on systemic metabolism as modelled in male and female Westar rat white adipose tissue inflammation and bioenergetics
Supervisor: Dr Gerald Maarman and co-supervisor Dr Admire Dube
Kheya Mokoena
Email: 23149108@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Human Life Science), BSc Honours (Biochemistry) and MSc (Medical Physiology- Cum laude)
Project: Investigating the effcet of cardiometabolic disease on mitochondrial respiratory function and mRNA expression levels in people living with HIV: A longitudinal study
Supervisor: Prof. Hans Strijdom and co-supervisors Dr Ingrid Webster and Dr Marguerite Blignaut
MSc
Chrisstoffel Jumaar
Email: 27421309@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BHSc. Medical Laboratory Science (Distinction) (CPUT)
Project Title: Investigating the usefulness of a novel plasma 5-marker host biosignature to identify pulmonary arterial hypertension in a post-tuberculosis context in a South African cohort.
Supervisors: Dr G Maarman
Jasmine Andrews
E-mail: 26746328@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Medical Bioscience (UWC), BSc (Hons) Med Phys (SU)
Project Title: Investigating the links between chronic stress and autophagy in hepatic and cardiac tissue from female Wistar rats.
Supervisor: Prof MF Essop; Co-supervisor: Ms Megan Cairns
Anique Wolmarans
E-mail: 21785716@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Bioschemistry and Physiology, BSc (Hons) Medical Physiology
Project Title: The effect of Cannabis and Psilocybin on the brain.
Supervisor: Prof B Huisamen; Co-supervisor: Dr Lihle Qulu
Garth Wentley
E-mail: 21670951@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Human Life Sciences, BSc (Hons) Medical Physiology
Project Title: Delineating the novel effects of melatonin in differentiated C2C12 myotubes in the presence and absence of pathology
Supervisor: Dr G Maarman
Stephen Southway
E-mail: 21214328@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Human Life Science, BSc (Hons) Medical Physiology
Project Title: Evaluating the biphasic effect of metformin in a 3D cardiomyoblast model of insulin resistance.
Supervisor: Dr M Blignaut
Amy Pretorius
E-mail: 22201831@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc Medical Bioscience (UWC), BSc Hons Medical Physiology
Project Title: Comparing the effectiveness of Imatinib and Melatonin against Endothelin-1-induced proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells.
Supervisor: Dr G Maarman
Sesethu Ketse
E-mail: sketse@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Microbiology and Physiology) and BSc Hons (Molecular Biology)
Project Title: DNA methylation profiling for breast cancer diagnosis in South African womens.
Supervisor: Dr Tarryn Willmer and co-supervisors Dr Lawrence Mabasa (SAMRC) and Prof. Hans Strijdomn
Nokulunga Mlaba
E-mail: 2454241@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Microbiology and Biochemistry) and BSc Hons (Medical Microbiology)
Project Title: Establishing and characterization of novel AC16 human ventricular spheroid model
Supervisor: Dr Marguerite Blignaut
Lindiwe Malefane
E-mail: 27583708@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Human Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics) and BSc Hons (Medical Physiology - Cum Laude)
Project Title: Investigating the effects of Rooibos-enriched, Mitochondrial-targeted Chitosan-alginate Nanoparticles in an MCF-7 breast cancer cell line
Supervisor: Dr Gerald Maarman and Prof. Admire Dube
Tamryne Brink
E-mail: 22555838@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Biological Sciences), BSc Hons (Medical Physiology- Cum Laude)
Project Title: Investigating the effects of olanzapine on redox status and vascular function in male and female Wistar rats fed a high sucrose medium fat (HSMF) diet.
Supervisor: Dr Shantal. Windvogel, Dr Hanel Sadie- Van Gijsen and Prof. Erna Marais
Natasha Marnewick
E-mail: 21617619@sun.ac.za
Qualifications: BSc (Human Life Sciences with Psychology-Cum Laude) and BSc Honours (Medical Physiology-Cum Laude)
Project Title: Comparing the effects of the second-generation anti-psychotic drug olanzapine on adipose stem cell function between male and female Wistar rats against the backgrund of high sugar feeding
Supervisor: Dr Hanel Sadie- Van Gijsen and co-supervisor Dr Gerald Maarman
