Prof Armanda Bastos was appointed to serve as the new Head of the Department of Zoology and Entomology (ZNE) from 1 December 2018.

She is a Principal Investigator for the DST/NRF SARChI Chair in Mathematical Models and Methods in Bioengineering and Biosciences (M3B2), which is being hosted by the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics. Prior to her appointments at UP in July 2000, she was a senior veterinary researcher at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (OVI) from 1994 to 2000. The move from the OVI to the Department of Zoology and Entomology has broadened her research, which was previously focused on  infectious disease research at the wildlife-livestock interface, to also include diseases occurring at the interfaces between humans, domesticated animals and wildlife.

Prof Bastos holds a PhD in Microbiology (2001), an MSc in Molecular Genetics (1997), a BSc(Hons) in Genetics (1993) and a dual-major BSc in Genetics and Zoology (1992), all from the University of Pretoria. She is a Research Associate of the Mammal Research Institute (MRI), of which she was the Deputy Directory and Acting Director from January 2016 to July 2017.

The C1 rating she received from the NRF and her appointment on the editorial boards of BMC Genetics and Frontiers in Veterinary Science unequivocally confirm her status as an established researcher in her area of focus. She has published widely in top journals and has acted as supervisor to several postgraduate students. Prof Bastos has substantial experience in tackling One Health challenges in sub-Saharan Africa and is actively involved at the forefront of multidisciplinary research related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her vision for the Department attests to a clear understanding of its dynamics and challenges.

This puts her in favourable position to make a valuable contribution to UP’s Vision 2025, to address the Faculty priorities and to take the research-intensive Department of Zoology and Entomology to new heights.