Collen Masimirembwa

Collen Masimirembwa (born 1967) is a biomedical pharmacologist from Zimbabwe. He is a Distinguished Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Witswatersrand, and serves as the president and chief scientific officer at the African Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology (AiBST). His research in Africa has contributed to the field of pharmacogenetics, particularly in understanding the genetic diversity and drug response of African populations. In 2018, he was awarded the HUGO Africa Award. He is a fellow of the Calestous Juma Leadership Fellowship, African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and the Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences (ZAS).

He has authored over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters and has guided numerous postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Early life and education Masimirembwa was born in 1967 in Zimbabwe and received his BSc (Hons) and DPhil degrees in biochemistry from the University of Zimbabwe in 1993. Fascinated by the then-emerging field of pharmacogenetics, he conducted studies at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden in 1995,

Career and research After obtaining his PhD, Masimirembwa returned to the University of Zimbabwe and served as a senior lecturer and head of the Department of Biochemistry from 1992 to 1997.

At the institute, he manages collaborations with various academic, industry, and government partners. He also leads the African Pharmacogenomics Consortium (APC), a network that aims to advance pharmacogenomics research and applications in Africa.

Masimirembwa is a fellow of the Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences (ZAS) The Grand Challenges Africa Award was presented to him in 2016. He was the recipient of the EDCTP Senior Fellowship Award in 2014 and the Wellcome Trust Senior Fellowship Award in 2012. AstraZeneca R&D acknowledged his work with the Global Scientific Award in 2006 and the Global Innovation Award in 2005. Additionally, he received the Calestous Juma Leadership Fellowship in 2021 and the PMCW 2025 Pioneer Award.