Veneshley Samuels

Veneshley Samuels is a PhD candidate who is looking to change lives by finding cures for diseases. Growing up in Atlantis, Veneshley saw that many families, living in close quarters together, contracted tuberculosis and this experience has driven her to want to specialise in TB research.

“As a South African woman from a previously disadvantaged background, I aim to develop tools that can be useful to combat diseases that are endemic in our country – and that is my main goal,” Veneshley shares.

Veneshley was paired with mentor Dr. Andani Mulelu, a biochemist and research scientist at the University of Cape Town’s Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit. Dr. Mulelu’s field of study is molecular biology, protein engineering and structural biology which he is harnessing towards developing a rapid test to diagnose tuberculosis. His mentorship gave Veneshley the encouragement to continue to pursue her goal.