Moira Amanda Mubani

General Info

What will be your most valuable contribution to your TechWomen mentorship?

In 2021 I underwent an intensive six-month training program in biomedical laboratory technologies under a collaboration between AIBST and the Chinhoyi University of Technology. This earned me a certificate and gave me I exhaustive knowledge and laboratory skills in sample processing and Biobanking. I can share these skills with my host company in addition to industrial basic first aid. I am also able to teach on laboratory information management systems. I am naturally confident and a great public speaker, scientific writer and network builder, so I can hopefully share these attributes with my prospective host company.

The Top Three Things I Would Like to Learn or Experience During my Mentorship

1. Learn how to pitch ideas to potential investors and develop tenacious business and entrepreneurship skills.
2. See how other unicorns in Silicon Valley are run and master the necessary skills on how to run an organization, manage people and manage multiple projects.
3. Acquire new technical skills currently being applied in drug discovery, pharmacogenomics, bioinformatics and genomics.

Mentorship Characteristic

• Identify workshops or certificate programs to further my learning after the program has ended
• Focus on leadership skills building
• Focus on technical skills building
• Identify a short-term project I can work on at the partnering company
• Exposes me to new tools and platforms

Ideal Company Type

My first degree ignited a passion in scientific research, particularly genomics, pharmaceutical biotechnology, bioinformatics and genetics, whilst my second degree sharpened me in pharmacology, toxicology, public health affairs and Chemo-genomics. I have also been educated in toxicity testing and pharmacokinetics. I have excellent sequencing skills, from Sanger to Next Generation Sequencing, plus experience in operating the Genexus Ion torrent integrated Sequencing machine and the Genexus software. I have expertise in RT-PCR and PCR, am familiar with Ion Ampliseq technology. I believe my qualifications, passion would be an excellent fit for the needs, vision and goals of my ideal company.

What are three adjectives that best describe you in the work place?

1. Confident
2. Goal-oriented
3. Coachable

What impact will your mentorship have on your career and professional path?

A U.S. based mentor will impact me and my career in many pleasant ways; I can continually learn strategies for research, technological development and innovation. Having a mentor from the well-developed USA means I will continually be up to date on state-of-the-art technologies. I am excited to learn more about new technical solutions that can be helpful to problems communities may be facing in Africa. Through this program, I hope to get access to more professional networks and opportunities through my mentor. I can learn to be a great leader, how to manage people, run projects and even companies through this program.

After participating in the TechWomen program, how will you leverage your mentorship experience to make an impact in your home country?

After visiting Silicon Valley and seeing how other unicorns are run, I aim to come home and successfully establish and register a world-class drug discovery and pharmacogenomics laboratory. I hope this would then generate employment and empower young women to become a part of this field. Africa bears the greatest disease burden globally, yet we do not produce our own medications. Africa consequently experiences lethal adverse drug reactions due to how no clinical trials or bioequivalent studies are done in our communities. I desire to spearhead drug development whilst reducing the adverse drug reactions burden and to increase treatment efficacy. I hope to have young scientists to mentor through this program, and thanks to TechWomen, I hope to have bigger networks and opportunities to share.

Work History

Years of Full-time Work Experience

4

Primary Professional Focus

• Bio or medical technology
• Design or CAD
• Scientist and researcher

Education History