I completed my undergraduate studies at Stellenbosch University in 1985 followed by an Honours degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Cape Town in 1986. I moved to Pretoria in 1987 to work on Bluetongue Virus at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute and while there, obtained an MSc degree in 1990 from the University of Pretoria. I then worked for a brief period as a scientific officer in Prof Ed Rybicki's lab at UCT before travelling overseas. Upon my return and until 2015, I assisted my husband, David, with the administration of his medical practice while being a Mom to our four children.

I registered for a PhD mid 2015 in Prof Rybicki's Biopharming Research Unit and graduated in July 2019. My research project involves the plant-based expression of recombinant African horse sickness viral proteins, with the aim of developing a safe and cost effective virus-like particle vaccine against the disease.