Fourth Meeting of the DS-I Africa Consortium
16 - 22 November 2024
The Ravenala Attitude Hotel, Mauritius

Ms Lesedi Williams - Participant

Utilizing Data Science to Predict and Improve Health Outcomes in Pediatric HIV (Co-PI)

I have always had a passion for science, during my undergraduate I participated in a USAID women in science mentorship program. After my undergraduate degree which was focused on Ecology, I pursued an MSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. I then joined the University of Botswana as a Lecturer in the field of Molecular Biology and Genetics in 2012. In 2014, I was selected as a trainee fellow for the H3Africa-funded project, Collaborative African Genomics Network (CAfGEN) and started pursuing a PhD in Genomics at the University of Botswana. As a CAfGEN PhD fellow, I have had the privilege of undertaking two years of Bioinformatics and Genomics training at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston, Texas, USA. I am currently working on a genome-wide screen of loci associated with alloimmunization in Sickle Cell Disease and investigating genetic variants that may be associated with HIV disease progression in sub-Saharan African prenatally infected children. When I am not immersed in my research, I enjoy reading and watching works in the genres of fantasy and science fiction.