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Christian Happi

Dr Christian Happi is a molecular biologist and genomic scientist internationally recognised for his work on infectious disease surveillance.

Christian Happi

As an EDCTP1 Senior Fellow, he conducted research on biomarkers for monitoring malaria drug resistance while strengthening genomic research capacity in Nigeria.

He later founded the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases at Redeemer’s University, Nigeria. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, his laboratory confirmed Nigeria’s first case within hours, helping prevent a larger epidemic. His team also sequenced Africa’s first SARS-CoV-2 genome during the COVID-19 pandemic. In recognition of his global impact, he was named among the TIME100 list of the world’s most influential people in 2025 in the Innovators category.

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