Dr Godfrey Mayoka
About
Dr. Godfrey Mayoka completed his pharmacy degree from the University of Nairobi (Kenya). He then received an International Science Program (Sweden) scholarship for a research associate position at the African Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology (AiBST) (Zimbabwe) where his research involved assessing drug-drug interactions potential and optimum dose predictions in patients treated for HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis and who are co-infected with parasites, endemic in Africa. In 2011, Godfrey was awarded the Commonwealth Scholarship by the United Kingdom’s Department of Foreign and International Development for M.Sc. in Drug Discovery studies at the University College London School of Pharmacy. In his research, Godfrey proposed a surrogate for the investigation of liver-induced toxicity by drug discovery compounds. Afterwards, Godfrey returned to Kenya and took up a lectureship position (Pharmacology) at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. In 2018, Godfrey obtained his PhD from the University of Cape Town (South Africa) under the guidance of Prof. Kelly Chibale. His doctorate research involved phenotypic-based drug discovery for malaria and schistosomiasis (bilharzia). Having returned to Kenya after his PhD, Godfrey was awarded the African Research Excellence Fund Fellowship to the drug discovery and development center (H3D), University of Cape Town (South Africa) where he conducted formal hit assessment of Plasmodium kinase inhibitors as promising antimalarials. Since April 2023, Godfrey has been in the department of Drug Design and Optimization under Prof. Dr. Anna Hirsch where he is contributing to the medicinal chemistry progression of diverse anti-infective projects and applying the innovative techniques developed in-house to antimalarial drug discovery.