Maryam Nina Hardy

Maryam Nina Hardy is a dedicated scientist from Ghana with a first-class Bachelor's degree in Applied Biology from the University for Development Studies and a Master's degree with distinction in Biotechnology from the University of Glasgow. Nina is a recipient of both the AfOx Kennedy Trust Prize Studentship and the Clarendon Scholarship. She is set to pursue a DPhil in Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the University of Oxford, where she will be a member of Exeter College.

While working at the University of Glasgow's Centre for Virus Research (CVR), Nina characterised and validated a novel parvovirus isolated from a Ugandan patient. She also developed a serological diagnostic test for its detection. Nina's work in Uganda extended to annotating over 40 phylogenetic trees, contributing to a better understanding of virus diversity in the region.

As a team member in the international SensUs Biosensor Competition in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Nina helped develop a biosensor for sepsis detection. More recently, she has been employing synthetic oligonucleotide-encoded libraries to study human serum antibody profiles through phage immunoprecipitation sequencing.

She is driven by her passion for understanding immune responses during viral infections, with a focus on host-viral interactions. At the University of Oxford, she plans to research the immunoglobulin repertoire in acute HIV infection. Her goal is to become a professor and contribute to Africa's research and public health solutions for viral infectious diseases.