Ms. Ayanda Makhosazana Nzuza serves as a Project Coordinator within the Grants Innovation and Product Development (GIPD) Unit at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). She holds a Master of Public Policy, Bachelor of Social Science Honours in Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Social Science in Industrial Psychology and Sociology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. In addition, she holds a Project Management Certificate from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Programme Management: Monitoring & Evaluation Certificate from the University of Cape Town.

Ayanda joined the SAMRC's GIPD Unit in June 2026. Prior to this appointment, she worked across several SAMRC units, including the HIV and Other Infectious Diseases Research Unit (HIDRU), the Gender and Health Research Unit (GHRU), and the Cochrane Centre. She has coordinated and supported a diverse portfolio of projects spanning clinical research, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), disability, gender-based violence (GBV), and clinical trial registries. She brings over nine years of experience in research and project coordination within the SAMRC.

In her current role, Ayanda coordinates the ALIGN Project. She also provides project coordination support across additional grant-funded initiatives within the GIPD portfolio.