Professor Tulio de Oliveira played a leading role in the response to COVID-19 in South Africa through his visionary application of genomics and bioinformatics. His research informed national, continental, and global COVID-19 responses, including the rapid identification and reporting of major SARS-CoV-2 variants, especially Beta and Omicron, and strengthened African genomic surveillance capacity. He is the Director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) at Stellenbosch University and the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal; and the Pro-Vice Chancellor: Industry, Business and Foundation Partnerships at Stellenbosch University. In addition, he is a Professor of Bioinformatics at the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University and at the College of Health Sciences at UKZN.

He has worked for over 20 years with viral outbreaks, including HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Chikungunya, Dengue, SARS-CoV-2, Zika, and Yellow Fever Virus. A highly cited researcher, he has more than 300 publications, with many of them in high-impact scientific journals. These contributions have significantly advanced our understanding of these pathogens and their impact on public health. Prof de Oliveira has received numerous awards and accolades. This includes the Gold Medal Award from the South African Medical Research Council; the Batho Pele Award; the German Africa Prize; the Discovery Health Lifetime Achievement Award; and the EDCTP Scientific Leadership Prize.

The President of Portugal awarded him the Order of Merit Medal for his groundbreaking work in genomics and bioinformatics, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and President Cyril Ramaphosa bestowed him the Order of Mapungubwe (Gold) for his contribution to genomic surveillance and public health. Prof de Oliveira’s work demonstrates how research excellence can lead to significant societal benefits through timely scientific discoveries, efficient dissemination, and widespread public value.