Botswana
Tshephang Iris Kabelo is a PhD candidate at the University of Reading, supervised by Professor Ian Jones. She works on optimising virus-like particle vaccines for African strains of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus and improving their cost-effectiveness for widespread use in the continent. Funded by the Schlumberger Foundation’s Faculty for the Future, she has six years of experience in African-focused diagnostics and vaccine development. Beyond her technical research, she is interested in innovation ecosystems and translating scientific discoveries into real-world solutions.