Early Career Event

The Metabolomics South Africa-Early Career Committee (MSA-EC) is committed to empowering the next generation of metabolomics researchers across the continent. Through skills development, mentorship, and community-driven initiatives, we aim to create meaningful opportunities for early-career scientists to grow, collaborate, and lead. Our activities focus on strengthening capacity, fostering innovation, and connecting emerging researchers to industry, academia, and broader scientific networks.

Translational Metabolomics Pitch Competition (Pre-conference)

Theme: From Data to Impact: Translating Metabolomics for African Innovation

As part of the First African Metabolomics Conference, the MSA-EC is launching a Translational Metabolomics Pitch Competition to inspire early-career scientists to turn metabolomics research into impactful African solutions.

This initiative provides a platform to:

  • Showcase translational ideas addressing African challenges
  • Link research outputs to real-world applications
  • Build entrepreneurial and communication skills
  • Connect with industry leaders, collaborators, and potential funders
  • Strengthen Africa’s role in achieving the SDGs and Agenda 2063
Who Can Participate?

Postgraduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career professionals in metabolomics (≤5 years post-PhD or ≤5 years work experience) from across Africa.

Scientific Themes for Pitches

Participants will submit proposals aligned to one or more of the conference themes:

  • Metabolomics, Lipidomics & the Microbiome in Health and Disease
  • Plants, Food, Environment & Microbes
  • Technology Advancements
  • Computational Metabolomics, Statistics, Bioinformatics & AI
  • Metabolomics & Societal Impact: SDGs & Africa’s Agenda 2063
Competition Format

The competition will run in three stages:

  • Proposal Submission (by the 23rd of Jan)
  • Evaluation
  • Finalist Selection

Apply here: https://forms.gle/eDJxCCqH85Eg6tSo8 

Career Night Event (11th March 2026)

The Career Night is a dynamic, interactive evening designed to support the professional growth of early-career scientists. Participants will engage with experts across different sectors and gain practical insight into building a successful scientific career.

Featured Speaker Topics
  • Commercialisation & IP Law: From Knowledge to IP
  • AI in Research & Scientific Writing
  • Academia vs Industry: Navigating Career Choices
  • Scholarships & Grant Applications: Strengthening applications and identifying opportunities
Speakers

International and national high-profile speakers

Why Attend?
  • Meet industry leaders, innovators, and mentors
  • Gain practical career insights
  • Network with peers and senior scientists
  • Celebrate the finalists of the Translational Metabolomics Pitch Competition
  • Win prizes during the Kahoot competition
  • Be part of shaping the next generation of African metabolomics

Kahoot Competition

A fun and interactive quiz with great prizes for participants.

Join us as we celebrate innovation, community, and the future of African metabolomics!

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