Prudence Mutowo

After studying for her bachelor's degree in biochemistry at the University of Zimbabwe and five years of research and development work in pharmaceuticals, Prudence was awarded the Chevening Scholarship by the British Council to study a master of science in applied biotechnology at the University of Nottingham in September 2003. In 2006, Prudence was awarded a UNESCO L’Oréal Fellowship, which enabled her to continue on as a Ph.D. student in molecular biology. She studied a special class of bacteria called Archaea, which are able to withstand extreme environments, such as excessive heat, pressure, and acidity. One group of these bacteria, known as halophiles, thrives in areas of high salt concentration. Specifically, Prudence sought to understand how proteins and DNA in the cell can interact at such high salt concentrations. After completing her Ph.D., Prudence has stayed on at the University of Nottingham as a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Pharmacy, where she is applying her skills to cancer research in the Department of Structural Biology and Medicinal Chemistry.