Janet Seeley is a social anthropologist by training, with a PhD in that subject from the University of Cambridge. Before joining the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in April 2014 she was Professor of International Development at the University of East Anglia. Janet worked for the Department for International Development for 13 years, prior to moving to the University of East Anglia in 2000. She is interested in the social aspects of health, with particular interest in HIV, tuberculosis and non-communicable conditions. Janet has been actively engaged in research on HIV since the late 1980s, including four years with Medical Research Council in Uganda 1989-1993 when she was responsible for setting up social science research in the Unit, which she returned to head in 2008 up until March 2022. Since 2014, Janet has been supporting social science and ethics research and researchers at the Africa Health Research Institute (formerly Africa Centre) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. She is currently the head of the Department of Global Health and Development at LSHTM.

Tolib is a Professor of Global Health Policy in the Department of Global Health and Development. His expertise covers three inter-connected areas: health policies, health systems and capacity strengthening, primarily in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Before joining the LSHTM in April 2021, Tolib was based at the University of Leeds where he holds a Visiting Professorship. He also worked with government and non-government organisations, provided consultancy services to international agencies (e.g. WHO, World Bank) and continuously advises key research funders (UKRI, NIHR, EC) through funding committees.

Virginia (Ginny) Bond is a social anthropologist with over 35 years of working experience in Zambia and the sub-Saharan African region, and based overseas for LSHTM at Zambart where she has had different institutional and investigator roles. Her areas of expertise include health-related stigma research and interventions, a rapid qualitative assessment methodology called ‘Broad Brush Surveys’ embedded in urban systems theory and applied to urgent public health issues, and, social science within randomized and population based clinical trials. Her role in NURTURE is to lead the training committee for research capacity strengthening, enhance equitable partnership commitments within the study, and to provide social science support across the work packages.

Cora Dee is a Programme Manager at LSHTM based in the Faculty of Public Health and Policy, working on two large NIHR-funded anthropological global health projects, TIYENI Dx and Nurture4Youth. She provides strategic guidance across research teams for successful management of project deliverables and research staff, ensuring research activities are on track and auditable. She facilitates, monitors, and manages sub-contracted partner contracts and spending, and supports project communications activities. She also holds an MSc in Global Health and Development from UCL. 

Musonda Simwinga is a Community Engagement Lead and Senior Social Scientist at Zambart. He has over 15 years’ experience conducting research in TB and HIV in high burden settings as a social scientist as well as a community engagement expert. Musonda has vast experience in conducting qualitative research for interdisciplinary and implementation research, working collaboratively with different stakeholders to generate evidence that inform intervention adaptations and community experience of research. His other academic interests include ethics and politics of community engagement, developing public engagement approaches for trials and complex health interventions for engaging subpopulations such as men and adolescents and young people.

Melvin Simuyaba is a social scientist based at Zambart, in Zambia. He is a work package 2 co-lead on the Nurture4Youth project and supports work on work package 1. He is pursuing a PhD in Migration and Displacement at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. His PhD study is nested within the Nurture4Youth project.

Mowa Zambwe is a Data Manager with a Master’s in Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and experience in data collection, data cleaning, data analysis and public health research. His work focuses on youth-centered studies, including migration and health outcomes, using statistical methods such as logistic regression. He is passionate about evidence-based decision-making and strengthening data systems. Mowa has a strong interest in adolescent/youth health and policy-oriented research.

Drosin Mwanamuchende is a Senior Social Scientist and a qualitative researcher based in Zambia with a focus on adolescent and youth health, particularly sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Her work explores the experiences of vulnerable and mobile young people, with an emphasis on improving access to responsive health services. She is actively involved in community-based research and youth engagement initiatives under the Nurture4Youth project.

Bruce Himakanta is a dedicated and community-oriented Junior Social Scientist with experience in field-based research and youth-focused interventions. He is currently working under the Nurture4Youth project with Zambart in Kanyama.

Innector Mwiinga is a dedicated Junior Social Scientist with experience in field-based research and youth-focused programming, promoting inclusive participation of young people from diverse backgrounds and nationalities. Currently working on the Nurture4Youth project at Zambart, at the Maramba field office in Livingstone, Zambia.

Langelihle Mlotshwa is a public health researcher whose interdisciplinary work focuses on the intersections of migration and health. Her current research examines how mobility, social, and structural factors influence young people’s access to health services and overall well-being. She has led and contributed to different studies across Southern Africa, working with diverse partners, and is committed to generating evidence that advances equity and informs responsive, policy-relevant health systems.

Nompumelelo is a PhD doctoral candidate on the Nurture4Youth Project, where her research focuses on the intersection of migration policies and access to healthcare for young migrants in South Africa. Her research is centered in Diepsloot, with a specific emphasis on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Nompumelelo explores how policy frameworks shape healthcare access and outcomes for migrant youth, with the aim of contributing to more inclusive and equitable health systems. Beyond her academic work, she has a strong interest in policy development and hopes to contribute to evidence-based policymaking in the future. She is passionate about bridging the gap between research and policy to improve the lived realities of vulnerable populations.

Blessing Mukuruva is a PhD candidate in Migration and Displacement Studies at the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS), University of the Witwatersrand. His research sits at the intersection of mobility governance, pandemic preparedness, and health security in Southern Africa, with a focus on mobile populations at borderscapes. Blessing's work contributes to migration-aware policy frameworks and mobility-competent health systems across the SADC region, drawing on extensive fieldwork and cross-border mobility research.

Amukelani holds a PGDip in Public Health with experience in HIV prevention studies, including qualitative research on PrEP among young women. Skilled in data collection, participant engagement, and study implementation, with a strong interest in sexual and reproductive health and addressing barriers to service uptake.

Lucy Khofi (Joint. PhD) is a Public Health Specialist and Medical Anthropologist whose research centres on migration, gender, and reproductive justice in Southern Africa. She examines how structural and social inequalities shape access to health and essential resources, contributing to research and policy efforts aimed at improving outcomes for marginalized populations.

Makhosazane Promise Ntombela is a Public Engagement Officer at the Africa Health Research Institute, where she has worked since 2015 to strengthen relationships between the organisation and the communities it serves. She holds an Honours degree in Social Work from the University of South Africa and a Master’s degree in HIV and AIDS Management from Stellenbosch University. Her work focuses on public engagement, community mobilisation, youth engagement, and health awareness.

Sinethemba Mabuyakhulu is a dedicated Communications and Public Relations professional with experience in stakeholder engagement, community development, and programme coordination. Sinethemba’s work focuses on strengthening community–research partnerships, particularly among young people, to improve health outcomes. He is passionate about youth empowerment, advancing awareness of key public health challenges, and creating inclusive platforms for meaningful participation in health initiatives.

Simóne Plüg is a research associate in AHRI’s Social Science unit and an adjunct Senior Lecturer at the International Centre of Nonviolence at Durban University of Technology. She holds a master’s degree in psychology from UKZN and a PhD in cultural and media studies from Rhodes University. Her research interests include violence, trauma and neglect; health, gendered identities, and inequality; and transformative pedagogies and participatory methodologies.

Dr Darshini Govindasamy is Director of the SAMRC/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science (PRICELESS‑SA). She is a health economist with extensive experience in economic evaluations of youth‑focused interventions in southern Africa. Within Nurture4Youth, she supports the economic evaluation of co‑developed interventions, generating policy‑relevant evidence to inform equitable, youth‑responsive sexual and reproductive health services.

Bongimpilo Zulu holds a Masters of Population Studies and her research topic was Contraceptive Use Amongst White University Students. She wrote a paper titled: A qualitative study on contraceptive use among young female university students: What still matters? (https://doi.org/10.59147/mNXkP8xX).