Linia Tendai Zambezi’s expertise lies at the intersection of bioinformatics, genomic medicine, and entrepreneurship. She is currently an MRes in Genomic Medicine student at the University of Cambridge and she holds a BMedSci (Hons) in Bioinformatics from the University of Cape Town, where she graduated with First-Class Honours. She also earned a BSc in Biomedicine (Cum Laude) from Eduvos South Africa, finishing at the top of her class.

Her research experience spans pharmacogenomics, genome assembly, and functional annotation, with a focus on implementing genomic medicine in clinical settings. At the University of Cambridge, she has worked on optimizing pharmacogenomics implementation in the NHS, utilizing risk assessment algorithms from Eclipse Live to identify high-risk patients for CYP2C19 testing.

Beyond academia, Linia has been actively involved in science communication and education outreach. She was a facilitator with Eh! Woza, teaching high school students about diseases such as cancer, TB, and HIV. As part of the Science Communication Committee at the University of Cape Town, she managed social media and outreach initiatives to engage the public with scientific advancements. Additionally, during her time with BIOCOM’s Applied Science Committee, she served as Head of Academics, organizing award-winning events and supporting her peers academically.

She is passionate about harnessing genomic technologies to drive precision medicine initiatives in Africa and the world beyond and is committed to ensuring African populations are adequately represented in global genomics research and healthcare innovation.

Louise Matthews is a dedicated researcher in population health sciences with a strong background in neuroscience and epidemiology. She is currently pursuing an MPhil in Population Health Sciences at Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge, building on her BA in Neuroscience and Behavior from Barnard College, Columbia University.

Her research at the University of Cambridge focuses on the intersection of depression, inflammation, and cognitive dysfunction, employing statistical techniques such as linear regression and mediation analysis. Previously, she worked as a Laboratory Technician at the Denny Lab, NY State Psychiatric Institute, where she collaborated with SILO Pharma on Alzheimer’s drug testing using transgenic mouse models. Her internship at Ionis Pharmaceuticals further strengthened her expertise in neurology, where she analyzed antisense oligonucleotide activity in mouse models.

Beyond research, Louise has demonstrated leadership in entrepreneurship, participating in Murray Edwards’ Enterprising Women initiative. Fluent in French and skilled in R programming, Louise has contributed to scientific literature with a publication on sex-specific effects of anxiety in Biological Psychiatry.

Dr. Hearn is a leading researcher in the field of circadian biology, with expertise in both genetics and physiology. He is a comparative biologist, having studied circadian mechanisms in humans, zebrafish, and plants. As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Cambridge, Dr. Hearn leads the Comparative Chronomics research group, focusing on how circadian clocks operate across different species and their implications for human health. His innovative research bridges chronobiology and genomic medicine, a field he has pioneered with the term “Chronomic Medicine.” Dr. Hearn’s work aims to explore the impact of circadian biology on the inheritance and phenotypes of rare diseases, offering new insights into precision medicine.

With a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Birmingham and a PhD from the University of Cambridge, Dr. Hearn has received several prestigious awards, including the HE Woodmann Prize for the best PhD thesis in plant science. In addition to his research, Dr. Hearn is an award-nominated educator, actively involved in the Cambridge Genomic Medicine Programme. He takes a leading role in bioinformatics and next-generation sequencing data analysis, mentoring postgraduate students and collaborating with clinicians to advance chronobiological research in genomic medicine.

As Chief Investigator at Afromics, Dr. Hearn plays a key role in advancing the company’s mission to build inclusive, representative genomic datasets, particularly from Africa, to improve global healthcare and precision medicine outcomes.