Wanda Markotter

Prof. Wanda Markotter started her academic career at University of Pretoria 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 is also occupying a DSI-NRF South African Research Chair in "Infectious Diseases of Animals " (Zoonoses). In 2021 she was also appointed as the co-chair of the One Health High Level expert panel advising the WHO, OIE, FAO and UNEP. She is a virologist who has been involved in an interdisciplinary research programme on disease ecology in bat species in South Africa and other African countries since 2005. Research includes extensive fieldwork focusing on bats and potential spillover hosts, virological testing, bat biology, ecological investigations and human behaviour studies. The focus is not only to detect viruses but also to understand spillover factors and develop mitigation strategies. More than 40 postgraduate students already graduated under her supervision, and she has mentored several postdoctoral fellows and emerging researchers. She has published more than 90 scientific publications and several book chapters and regularly contributes to public media forums. Her research is supported by several multi-collaborative international viral surveillance programmes, including the Global Disease Detection Programme, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and Defence and Threat Reduction Agency, USA. She is also leading transdisciplinary initiatives focused on One Health and plays a leading role in several governmental committees, including the National Rabies Advisory Group and National One Health forum.