Dr Kamini Govender has a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Her research expertise is multidisciplinary encompassing Biochemistry, Microbiology, Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Medical Biochemistry. In 2023, she was selected as one of nine South African Scientists to participate in the prestigious 72nd Nobel Lindau Meeting in Germany centred around Medicine and Physiology. Dr Govender is currently a member of a number of scientific bodies, including the South African Society for Microbiology (SASM), South African Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SASBMB), European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry Young Scientists Network (EFMC-YSN), Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and Empowering Female Minds in STEM (EFeMS). She was also selected in 2024 as the SynBio Africa ambassador of South Africa, Southern Africa region, Women in Synthetic Biology Africa (WiSBA) and vice-president of the Southern region, South Africa, African Society for Synthetic Biology (ASSB), Science Diplomacy Capital for Africa (SCDfA). Dr Govender is an executive committee member of the South African Young Academy of Science.