Walter Chingwaru, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer

Walter Chingwaru, Ph.D., <br>Senior Lecturer

Walter Chingwaru, Ph.D.,
Senior Lecturer

Walter Chingwaru is an expert associate of the Institut. He is a senior lecturer at Bindura University of Science Education in Zimbabwe. His research interests are in microbiology and drug discovery using natural products. His Ph.D. research was on the health benefits (antimicrobial, anticarcinogenic and immunomodulatory activity) of Tylosema esculentum (marama – a plant that is found in the semi-arid parts of Southern Africa) bean and tuber extracts using in vitro models. Concurrent with his Ph.D., (2006 – 2011), he was employed as an independent researcher in the Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences at University of Maribor. As an independent researcher, he studied host-pathogen interactions in vitro - under PathogenCombat, a collaborative project that was funded under the Framework 6 Programme of the European Union. Additionally, as an independent researcher, he also worked as an assistant lecturer within the fields of microbiology, cell biology and biochemistry at the same university. He also holds an M.Sc. degree in Applied Microbiology, which he obtained from University of Botswana in 2001. During period 2013 - 2014 he was enrolled as a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics at Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa, where he studied molecular interactions between HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro. Over the years he has spearheaded a number of research initiatives and grant applications. He is currently a coordinator of a proposed M.Sc. in Applied Microbiology and Plant Pathology degree at BUSE and a representative of the Faculty of Science to the university’s research board. He is currently a member of the Slovenian Biochemical Society (Slovensko biokemijško društvo) and the Slovenian Microbiological Society (Slovensko mikrobiološko društvo). At the end of 2016 he received the "Publisher of the Year" University Award.

As an associate expert at Institute ICANNA, his interest is on the prophylacic / therapeutic value cannabis and other plants rich in cannabinoids. His expertise in the field of pharmacognosy is an asset to Institute.

Education: B.Sc. Gen., B.Sc. Hon. (University of Zimbabwe), M.Sc. Applied Microbiology (University of Botswana) and Ph.D. Biomedicine. He graduated with Ph.D. in Biomedicine at University of Maribor, Slovenia.