Natasha is a Research Scientist at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia(CIDRZ). Her work focuses on understanding the immunology of rotavirus infections and vaccines and factors impacting vaccine immunogenicity in Zambian children. Natasha has a master’s degree in Control of Infectious Diseases (2015/16) from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). She completed a Ph.D. in immunology (2018/24) from LSHTM through a Wellcome Trust International Training Fellowship and EDCTP2 programme supported by the European Union, she completed a PhD in Immunology(2018/24) from LSHTM.

As a transitional post-doctoral Fellow, Natasha’s project is investigating the immune responses elicited against specific rotavirus viral proteins in vaccinated children. She ismentored by Dr. Benjamin Lee, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist and a practicing physician-scientist with expertise in viral gastroenteritis in children, including oral vaccine performance and immunity against enteric pathogens from the University of Vermont Vaccine Testing Center and the Translational Global Infectious Diseases Research (TGIR) Center. Expected results from this project will improve knowledge of the observed vaccine immunogenicity of oral rotavirus vaccines in Zambia with potential insights for future rotavirus vaccine design.