Training and capacity building
The vector biology and disease group is involved in numerous training partnerships with institutes in disease endemic countries to help strengthen research capacity. This includes the co-sponsorship of Wellcome Trust Fellows and joint supervision of PhD and MSc students from East Africa who are based at our partner institutes in Tanzania.
Furthermore, members of the group founded TrypanoGEN, a pan-African network to investigate human susceptibility to trypanosomiasis, committed to training the next generation of African scientists in genomic research and as such is training PhD students, bioinformaticians and technicians in the latest sequencing technologies.
Members of the vector group are also providing training in quantitative analysis to African students and scientists through the provision of short training courses and online support. We are committed to contributing to capacity building through our research, and welcome inquires from students and scientists in low income, disease endemic countries who may wish to explore collaboration with us.
Internal grants:
Heather Ferguson:
- Co-applicant, EU FP7 Call for Africa Programme, “African Vector Control: New tools”, (Total €12 million, HMF Component: £515,651, 2011-2016)
- Afrique One
- TrypanoGEN
External Fellowships
Awards to colleague at Institutes in Disease Endemic Countries on which UG is providing mentorship
Heather Ferguson:
- Sponsor and co-supervisor. Training Fellow in International Health and Tropical Medicine “Understanding the potential for malaria vector behavioural adaptations” Principal Investigator: Dr. Nicodem Govella, Ifakara Healtn Institute, Tanzania (2014-2017)
- Sponsor. Intermediate Fellow in International Health and Tropical Medicine. “Targeting residual malaria vectors in communities where insecticidal bed nets are already widely used”. Dr. Fredros Okumu, Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania (2014-19)
- Sponsor and co-supervisor, Ifakara Health Institute & Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Hassan Mshinda Career Development Fellowship, “Predicting the impact of environmental change and interventions on malaria vector species composition and prospects for control” Principal Investigator: Dr Issa Lyimo, Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania. (2011-2013)
- Sponsor and co-supervisor, Wellcome Trust Training Fellowship in Public Health and Tropical Medicine, “Evolutionary and ecological response of African malaria vectors to insecticide-treated nets: vector population replacement?” Principal Investigator: Mr Kija Ng’habi, Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania. 2010-2013