Woza, WENA!

Khethani and Jo are back at it with a second season of WENA, The Podcast that engages on the W's of Everyone in Neurosciences across Africa.

On this episode, we have a discussion with fellow Wits School of Physiology graduate Zuha Ajlan about her path to neuroscience! We also chat about a foundation that she started called "Shadow a Scientist", and also the research interest of neuroimmunology (think: neuroscience meets your immune system!) which developed at a young age.

To get in touch with Zuha, email xuhajlan@gmail.com or find her on LinkedIn

Be sure to share this with your friends, family and colleagues; follow us on X; connect on LinkedIn or drop us an email at wena.thepodcast@gmail.com

We had an opportunity to chat with one of the remarkable WITS Neuroscience Research Lab directors, Dr. Sahba Besharati. A rich discussion bloomed that speaks to the challenges and victories of neuroscience research in a South African context. Specifically, Sahba talks us through the works and teams at WITS NeuRL, impressing upon collaboration between and value of "Global South" voices in partnerships within and across research groups. We close the episode with a reflection on the "Global North" language used to describe decolonial methodology, teaching, and learning in neuroscience.

Hosted in the School of Human and Community Development, the WITS Neuroscience Research Lab is a space designed to facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration, enhance and contextualise theory, and augment and support effective practice and research in the field of neuroscience in the South African context.

Wits NeuRL represents both a physical space where innovative research is carried out using a range of methodologies, as well as a group of academics with varied research interests in clinical, cognitive, computational and social-affective neuroscience.

Directors: Dr Sahba Besharati & Prof Kate Cockcroft

In the second half of our first chat with Dr. Thando Shabangu, we discuss his research in greater detail. We also speak about life outside of the research lab and what success looks like for WENA.

Dr. Shabangu's website and YouTube are:

https://www.thandowshabangu.com/home

https://www.youtube.com/@BloggerMusings