Dr Khuzwayo Jere BSc. (EST), BSc. (Hons)(Med Microbiol) MSc. (Med Virol), PhD
Senior Lecturer Clinical Infection, Microbiology & Immunology
- +44 (0)151 794 9841 Ext. 49841
- Work email Khuzwayo.Jere@liverpool.ac.uk
- ORCID0000-0003-3376-8529
Research
Research Overview
My group's activities (The Virology Research Group) focus on understanding the epidemiology, immunology, evolution and disease burden of viral pathogens. With a long focus on the effectiveness of rotavirus vaccines, the group also studies other important viruses from genetics to public health. We aim to determine:
1. The immune responses induced by rotavirus vaccination and rotavirus natural infection;
2. The immunological basis for the reduced rotavirus vaccine effectiveness in Malawian children;
3. The host factors associated with vaccine responses;
4. The impact of rotavirus vaccine on rotavirus strains; and
5. The immunogenicity and efficacy of new rotavirus vaccines in Malawian children.
More recently, the Virology Group, in collaboration with Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) and MLW’s Genomic Epidemiology & Antimicrobial Resistant Microbes (GEARM) Group, established Malawi’s first in-country nucleotide sequencing capacity to help determine the origins and geneticepidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in Malawi. The Virology Group is expanding to understand other key enteric pathogens.
Research Grants
Accelerating the Development of the Next Generation of Enteric Virus Vaccines through Sequencing and Antigenic Cartography
BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION (USA)
September 2022 - August 2025
Enterics for Global Health - Shigella Surveillance
BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION (USA)
October 2021 - June 2025
Global Health Research Group in Gastrointestinal Infections: Facilitating the Introduction and Evaluation of Vaccines for Enteric Diseases in Children in Eastern and Southern sub-Saharan Africa
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)
August 2022 - July 2025
SARS-CoV-2 infection, transmission dynamics and household impact in Malawi (SCATHIM)
ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL, MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
September 2020 - March 2023
Impact of early-life virome composition on oral rotavirus vaccine outcome among infants in the UK and Malawi
LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE & TROPICAL MEDICINE (UK)
September 2019 - September 2021
Human challenge with live-attenuated rotavirus to assess next-generation rotavirus vaccines in Africa
MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
September 2020 - February 2024
Modelling next generation rotavirus vaccines
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (USA)
September 2020 - August 2025
Enterics for Global Health – Shigella Surveillance in Malawi (Part B)
BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION (USA)
January 2021 - December 2024
Model-guided assessment of rotavirus vaccine Impact in developing countries.
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (USA)
February 2015 - January 2021
Characterization of B-cell Subsets and Immunoglobulin Sequence Repertoires in Infants Immunised with Human Rotavirus Vaccine in Malawi
WELLCOME TRUST (UK)
January 2017 - June 2022