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Jimmy Nkaiwuatei is the Head of Research, Discovery and Innovations at Students Against Superbugs Africa, a youth-led organization tackling the problem of antimicrobial resistance through education and outreach in Africa.
Ariangela Kozik is a research investigator at the University of Michigan where she studies the role of the respiratory microbiome, and host–microbiome interactions, in asthma pathogenesis and treatment response. Ariangela is also the vice president and a co-founder of the Black Microbiologists Association.
Elizabeth Anne Bukusi is a research professor in obstetrics and gynaecology and global health at the University of Washington and a senior principal clinical research scientist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). Her research focuses on sexually transmitted infections, reproductive health and HIV prevention, care and treatment.
Francine Ntoumi is a Congolese parasitologist, founder, chair and executive director of the Congolese Foundation for Medical Research, Republic of Congo, and research group leader at the University of Tübingen, Germany. She established the first research centre on infectious diseases in the Republic of Congo.
Esperanza Martínez-Romero is a professor of ecological genomics and was coordinator of the undergraduate programme on genomics at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Her work on plant symbioses, and outreach with local farmers has encouraged uptake of sustainable practices and the use of biofertilizers.
Margaret McFall-Ngai is the inaugural director of a new division in biosphere sciences at the Carnegie Institution for Science. She has explored the impact of evolving in a microbial world on the biology of animals and plants through a set of adventures that began with a lecture by Carl Woese early in her graduate career.