Dr Courtney Olwagen

Dr. Courtney Olwagen is the lead molecular microbiologist at the Vaccine and Analytics Infectious Disease Analytics (VIDA) research unit and holds a joint appointment at the University of Witwatersrand. She specialises in infectious disease and vaccine impact research, with a focus on reducing under-5 childhood morbidity and mortality. Her research portfolio spans genomic epidemiology, surveillance, and the long-term effects of vaccines, as well as alternative vaccine strategies. Dr. Olwagen has pioneered high-throughput molecular diagnostic platforms for detecting and characterizing multiple pathogens and has led next-generation sequencing investigations into causes of neonatal sepsis and death. Her research has provided critical insight into vaccine effectiveness, antimicrobial resistance, and the molecular etiology of neonatal sepsis, helping to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations in South Africa and globally. Dr. Olwagen has published extensively, with articles in high-impact journals, including The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health and The Lancet Microbe. Her research has been recognized through prestigious honours, including the Robert Austrian Research Award and the University of the Witwatersrand Faculty Award for Best Publication. 

Dr. Olwagen completed her undergraduate and honours studies in Biochemistry at the University of Johannesburg before earning her PhD in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (through conversion of her MSc) from the University of Witwatersrand, where her doctoral research evaluated the impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in South African communities. Beyond her research, Dr. Olwagen is a dedicated educator and mentor, having supervised numerous MSc and PhD students and coordinated scientific programs to foster the next generation of scientists.