Dr. Ruhanya is a qualified virologist with MSc and PhD in Medical Virology and he is registered with Medical Laboratory and Clinical Scientist Council of Zimbabwe (MLCSZ) as a clinical scientist. He has been nurtured by leading scientists and professionals in the field of virology through active research and training. He has applied interdisciplinary approaches to virology, such as molecular biology, immunology, computational biology and statistical modelling and he has experience with a range of equipment and techniques, including PCR, cloning, plasmid construction and sequencing. He has worked in both clinical and academic settings where he developed a passion for capacity building as well as development novel approaches to diagnosis and treatment of viral diseases and Comorbities.

For his postdoctoral work, Vurayai is conducting research that uses a multidimensional high throughput molecular biology, cell biology and immunology assays along with clinical, neuropsychometric, neuromedical/neuroimaging and statistical modelling to gain an understanding of the complexity and multifactorial nature of HAND pathogenesis particularly in HIV-1 subtype C in Zimbabwe.  The aim of the project is to define HIV-1 subtype C signatures for HAND in different peripheral blood components, immune biomarkers and neuroimaging biomarkers and to evaluate their clinical validity. This will contribute to the discovery of biomarkers for possible diagnosis HAND and guiding the development of novel therapeutic approaches to this condition.

Dr Maramba is a senior lecturer with the University of Zimbabwe and an experienced scientist with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education, diagnostic and research industry. Skilled in Laboratory Diagnostics; especially Haematology, Molecular Diagnostics, Blood cancer diagnosis and prognostication. His research interests are in HIV and host genomics.
For his postdoctoral work, Aaron seeks to better understand the genomic and molecular basis of haematological neoplasma so as to make its diagnosis and management easier and possibly design better management plans. Currently the management and prognostication of haematological neoplasms in Zimbabwe is based on guidelines from other countries where the disease triggers and mutations are different from Zimbabwe where HIV prevalence is high.