Ruth Nanjala

Ruth Nanjala is the inaugural AfOx Kennedy Trust Prize Studentship Scholar. Ruth is a bioinformatician with a research focus on computational analysis of  the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) region and its relationship to complex immune-mediated diseases such as Rheumatoid arthritis.

Ruth graduated with a distinction for the M.Sc. in Bioinformatics at Pwani University, Kenya and the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Her Master’ research focused on evaluating the accuracy of genotype imputation in the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) region in selected African populations. She holds a first-class B.Sc. degree in Microbiology from Pwani University, Kenya.

Ruth is interested in HLA genetics, focusing on applying bioinformatics to understand the mechanisms underlying human diseases, especially immune complex-mediated diseases. She hopes to work towards addressing the gap in disease diagnosis, prognosis and treatment and thus address health challenges in Africa and beyond.

Ruth is also passionate about capacity building and has been involved with different projects aimed at building Bioinformatics capacity in Africa. These include the Pan African Bioinformatics network (H3ABioNet) and the Bioinformatics mentorship and incubation program at the International Centre for insect physiology and ecology (ICIPE). 

Ruth will read for a DPhil in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, based at The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology and Reuben College.