Prof Marakalala completed his PhD in Chemical Pathology at the University of Cape Town (2008), receiving the Bronte Stewart Research Prize for the most meritorious PhD thesis. He then completed a total of 8 year postdoctoral training; 4 years in the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) at UCT and 4 years in Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.

Between 2016 and 2019, he was a Senior Lecturer at UCT and a Visiting Scientist at Harvard. From 2019 until his recent appointment as the Unit Director of the SAMRC Centre for TB Research, he has been a Wellcome Trust International Fellow and Faculty member at Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) and an Associate Professor at University College London (UCL). His laboratory’s primary interest is on infectious diseases, particularly immunopathogenesis of Tuberculosis, with an aim of developing host-directed therapies targeting mediators of lung damage. His other interests are in understanding strategies utilized by mycobacteria to survive various arms of the immune system. Work in his lab is funded by grants from SA Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Personal achievements include recognition as a ‘Rising Star’ at the 2019 Grand Challenges meeting, NRF Emerging Researcher Excellence Award (2018), SA Medical Research Council Scientific Merit award (Silver medal) (2016); UCT 2016 College of Fellows Young Researcher Award. He was named a Fellow of the Next Einstein Forum (2016), which is awarded to young scientists throughout Africa, who are using science as a platform to solve global challenges. He was honoured as a World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Scientist, at the WEF New Champions meetings in Dalian, China (2015).

His piece of advice to aspiring scientists: Pursue research questions with a potential to solve problems with local relevance. There is nothing as fulfilling as seeing your work translated into positive impact among those in need. In pursuing such excellence, however, things may be difficult at times. That is normal and character-building, even if it may not seem so at the time. Never surrender in the face of challenges but have faith in your abilities and passion.