The University of Bath will welcome 2023/24 Global Chair Professor Francesca Aweeka to campus for her second in-person visit from 3 - 19 June 2024. This follows her first visit to Bath in November 2023, during which she held meetings with colleagues from the Department of Life Sciences and the Milner Centre, identifying potential areas for research collaboration and joint events. Professor Aweeka will engage in a number of activities whilst at Bath, including delivering a public lecture entitled Malaria: A Relentless Global Challenge as we Strive Toward Optimized Treatment and Control.

Through this lecture, Prof. Aweeka will explore her own research on malaria, the evolving global research and treatment of the disease and the importance of studying drug resistance alongside infectious diseases.

Professor Francesca Aweeka is Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and a world-leading expert in the treatment of several global health diseases, most notably malaria, HIV and COVID-19. Having previously held the position of Director at the internationally regarded Drug Research Unit at UCSF for more than 20 years, Prof. Aweeka’s research primarily focuses on anti-infective drugs, specifically in resource-limited settings such as sub-Saharan Africa. Her work has significantly contributed to the optimization of anti-retroviral drug therapies for the treatment of HIV.

The Global Chair scheme is run annually by the International Relations Office and aims to increase Bath’s international profile and enable research collaboration with distinguished academics from around the world. The scheme supports two of the University's strategic pillars, Enhancing Strategic Partnerships and Driving High Impact Research.

Professor Aweeka's public lecture will be held at the Guildhall, Bath, on Friday 7 June at 6pm. The event is free and open to all, although registration is required.