Immunologist of the Month
Every month we feature a new interview with an Immunologist. These Immunologists are at the cutting-edge of research and education, they have kindly offered to give us their time and insight into their research and studies.
March 2026
Nearly a decade ago, Immunopaedia featured Professor Mohlopheni (Jackson) Marakalala as our Immunologist of the Month, highlighting his pioneering work on tuberculosis (TB) granulomas and host-directed therapies. Since then, his career has flourished across South Africa, the United States, and the UK. This has included postdoctoral training at Harvard, faculty roles at the University of Cape Town and the Associate Professorship at University College London, and Faculty position at the Africa Health Research Institute.
Today, Prof Marakalala is the Unit Director of the SAMRC Centre for TB Research at Stellenbosch University. Where he leads a lab focused on the immunopathogenesis of TB, aiming to develop host-directed therapies to limit lung damage. His work, having been supported by the Wellcome Trust, Gates Foundation, and SAMRC, reflects both scientific excellence and a commitment to solving South African health challenges.
Read more – Mohlopheni Marakalala
February 2026
Dr Mehrnoosh Arrar is an assistant researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) at the Institute of Calculus at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). She was born in the United States, where she completed her education, which includes a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Florida and a PhD in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego.
She is currently working in Argentina, developing her line of research focused on molecular modelling of the NS3 helicase of dengue for the design of antivirals, which earned her the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award (Argentina, 2025).
Read more – Mehrnoosh Arrar
January 2026
Dr Doty Ojwach is a virologist and Senior Scientist whose work bridges HIV pathogenesis, maternal-foetal immunity, and viral evolution.
Doty earned her PhD in Virology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s HIV Pathogenesis Programme, South Africa, where she investigated HIV replication dynamics and viral protein function. A former SANTHE fellow and two‑time SANTHE Trainee of the Year (2017, 2018), she was also selected as a Lindau Nobel Laureate Young Scientist in 2020.
At Stellenbosch University’s Reproductive Immunology Research Consortium in Africa unit in South Africa, Dr Ojwach, as a Senior Scientist, now focuses on understanding how maternal HIV and/or CMV co-infection shapes foetal immune development, beginning with immunological interactions in the placenta.
Read more – Doty Ojwach
