He founded the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) and the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) in South Africa, both of which play a key role in monitoring emerging pathogens in Africa.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, his team identified and reported the Beta and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2, discoveries that helped inform the global response to the pandemic. His work led him to be named in the TIME 100 Health list as one of the world’s most influential people in 2024.
In 2025, he received the EDCTP Scientific Leadership Prize and currently leads the Global Health EDCTP3-funded GenPath Africa project, which is strengthening genomic surveillance capacity across several African countries.
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