SANBio welcomes new Director

1 September 2006

At the beginning of September, SANBio (Southern African Network for Biosciences) welcomed Professor Luke Mumba on board, as its new Director. Prof Mumba hails from Zambia where, as an Associate Professor of Genetics, he most recently served as Dean of the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Zambia.

Prof Mumba successfully completed his PhD in Plant Genetics at the University of Cambridge and has undertaken a postdoctoral attachment at Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. He has been a recipient of prestigious awards such as the British Council/ODA Fellowship, the Beit Trust Fellowship, the Hawaii State Science Foundation Research Fellowship and the University of Zambia Staff Development Fellowship.

His research has been published extensively in local and international journals and in conference proceedings. He has also co-authored a book on agriculture biotechnology.

Prof Mumba has served on several national and international Boards such as the ASTM International Technical Committee on Biotechnology (E48), the Zambia Wildlife Authority, the Zambia Bureau of Standards Technical Committee on Biotechnology, the National Plant Genetic Resources Committee, the University Governing Council and University Senate.

He has recently been appointed Chairman of the National AIDS Council-Institutional Biosafety Committee reviewing applications for protocols on clinical trials for HIV/AIDS vaccines and clinical trials on herbal remedies in Zambia. He is the founding Executive Director of the Biotechnology Outreach Society of Zambia.

Prof Mumba has over 19 years lecturing experience and has successfully supervised MSc and PhD students in biological sciences. He is married with one daughter and three sons.