I obtained my PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Pretoria in 2010. I joined the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine at UP as a postdoctoral fellow. My research focused on the isolation and characterization of human mesenchymal stem cells. During this time I established a stem cell culture facility in the Institute and co-supervised the studies of four masters students. In 2014 I was awarded an NRF Career Advancement Fellowship. In 2015 I was fortunate to get the opportunity to continue my fellowship in the Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics at UP.