Professor Kgaugelo Edward Lekota

Prof Kgaugelo Edward Lekota has established himself as a leading researcher in the field of microbial genomics, bioinformatics, and antimicrobial resistance. His work has been crucial in the development of high-resolution genomic markers for tracking outbreaks and understanding the transmission dynamics of zoonotic pathogens.

He completed his Honours degree in microbiology at the University of Limpopo and his Master’s in veterinary microbiology and PhD in microbiology, genomics and bioinformatics at the University of Pretoria. He spent almost five years at the Agricultural Research Council working as a research assistant and junior researcher before moving to the University of South Africa to work as a laboratory specialist. He then took up the position of senior lecturer at North-West University where he is now an associate professor.

Prof Lekota maintains an NRF Y-rating and has published more than 40 articles in publications such as Frontiers in Microbiology; PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases; and BMC Genomics.

He has supervised four MSc and two PhD graduates to completion and is currently supervising eight MSc and three PhD students.

His work has received a number of accolades including the Prof Gavin Thompson Award from the Southern African Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine and the Faculty Teaching Award from NWU.