A delegation of researchers and postgraduate students from FABI represented the Institute at the combined South African Genetics Society (SAGS) and South African Society for Bioinformatics (SASBi) Biennial Conference, hosted at Nelson Mandela University from 31 August to 5 September.

Representing FABI were Prof. Sanushka Naidoo, Prof. Irene Barnes, Renate Zipfel, Aaron Harvey, Kayla Thomas, Julia Lutz, Kyle Craninx, JJ Nelson, Christiaan Grobler, Avhashoni Zwane, Choaro Dithugoe, Happy Sathegke and Annabel Norval. Aligning with this year’s theme, “African Genomes in the Global Village,” the team demonstrated the strength and diversity of FABI’s research programmes through oral presentations, poster exhibitions, and active participation in the bioinformatics workshop.

The conference was marked with notable individual accolades for the institute. Prof. Irene Barnes, received the prestigious SAGS Fellowship Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions and service to genetics. This comes with a lifelong membership to the society. MSc candidate, Annabel Norval, earned second place for her oral presentation during the student symposium.

Beyond the academic programme, the conference provided the team with valuable opportunities to connect with the broader national scientific community, develop computational expertise, whilst enjoying the coastal setting of Gqeberha.