Who we are Meet the team Meet the team The Africa Research Excellence Fund operates from Africa and the UK. We have a small and dedicated team, who are determined to make a difference: Professor Gibson Kibiki MD, M.Med, PhDChief Executive Officer Professor Kibiki is a professor of medicine and consultant physician and endoscopist, who was previously the Founding CEO of the East African Health Research Commission of the East African Community, and the Founding Director of the Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute. For over twenty-five years he has served as an academician, clinician, research scientist, and leader in the health sector, holding academic positions in Africa, North America, and Europe. He has technical and managerial expertise through many years of working in the medical field in Africa and collaborating with institutions from the global North and has been key in the establishment of various regional and international research and research capacity development programmes... Maria Bellocci Chief Operating Officer Maria joined AREF in June 2018 as the Head of Business Development and Resources before being promoted to COO in August 2021. Maria’s focus is operational efficiency and improvements and ensuring statutory compliance and effective budget management. Prior to joining AREF, Maria worked for charity Whizz-Kidz. During her 11 years there she was responsible for customer services, procurement, budgets and NHS contracts. Irene CokerProgrammes and Office Manager Irene previously served as AREF’s Training Events Manager before being promoted to Programmes and Office Manager, where she plays a crucial role in managing and delivering AREF’s suite of researcher development programmes. She focuses on building AREF's alumni community and supporting researchers to foster collaborations, to ultimately advance their careers and increase their individual and collective contributions to African health research. . Alberta DavisProgramme Officer As programme officer, Alberta is responsible for managing the day-to-day administration of AREF Fellowships. She has a degree in biomedical science from the University of Westminster and is a final year PhD candidate at The Open University. Her project is researching genetic signatures of disease progression in HIV. Alberta has worked at the Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia over the last 15 years in the areas of STDs, meningitis, TB, and HIV. Dr Dawn DukeHead of Researcher Development Dawn joined AREF in January 2021 as Head of Programmes to oversee our professional development programmes for postdoctoral researchers in Africa. Dawn has twelve years’ experience in researcher development, most recently as the Head of Researcher Development and Engagement at the University of Surrey. She has a PhD in Neuroscience from Imperial College London and is passionate about the difference research and researchers make to our world. Bakary JammehProject Officer Bakary provides project management support to the AREF team, including maintaining relevant and compliant management systems within projects. Bakary has a BSc in Management and Economics and MSc in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business. Prior to joining AREF, he worked in finance and procurement positions at the University of The Gambia and the Management Development Institute respectively. . Dr Jill Kent Research Manager Jill Kent joined AREF in February 2021 as Research Manager, to manage and deliver AREF Fellowship competitions. Jill has a PhD in molecular genetics from the University of Edinburgh and an MBA from Cranfield University. She has research and science funding experience from the UK and Australia. For the past 12 years she has lived in Zambia and Tanzania, most recently working as a grants and programme management adviser to the Sickle Cell Programme at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Lamin SannehAcademy Training Events Officer Lamin has been a key member of the AREF team since 2016. His role as Academy Training Events Officer helps to manage and administer AREF Programmes and events, including Excell Researcher and Leadership Development, Towards Leadership and Mentoring. He is a graduate from the University of The Gambia with a BSc in Management. His previous employment roles include human resources management and administration in the public sector, being skilled in event and project management, research governance, grant management, and monitoring and evaluation. Shirley StewartHead of Fundraising Shirley joined AREF in July 2021 as Head of Fundraising, responsible for leading and developing our fundraising. Shirley has a 20 year background in the charity/non-profit sector, having worked in leadership roles and as a consultant for a wide range of charities and causes. Her previous roles include Brook, the young people’s sexual and reproductive health charity; CALM the campaign against living miserably; and Medical Aid for Palestinians. Denise GanleySenior Finance Manager Denise provides part-time financial management support to AREF. Denise is a chartered accountant with 20 years’ experience working in a range of industry sectors in both large and small businesses. Ana Ilic Governance Manager Ana provides part-time governance management support to AREF. She has a degree in Biology and an MSc in Science Communication from the University of Sheffield, and has spent the last six years working in governance at the Royal Society of Biology. . . Emily MarshallCommunications Officer Emily provides part-time communications support to AREF. She has a Master’s Degree in International Health from the University of Leeds, and has experience in the science communication field, previously working in research engagement at Versus Arthritis. 1 2 3