Dr Joseph Malinzi

Dr Joseph Malinzi is a lecturer in the mathematics department at the University of Eswatini. He is currently an AfOx Mathematics Institute Visiting Fellow at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, as part of the Africa Oxford Visiting Fellowship Programme.  

Joseph earned a PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and is currently a Lecturer at the University of Eswatini and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute of Systems Science, Durban University of Technology and Science. Between 2016 and 2018 he was a postdoctoral fellow and assistant lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.   

Joseph’s research investigates the synergistic effects of combining two oncolytic viruses for cancer treatment. Oncolytic virotherapy involves genetically engineered viruses that infect, multiply and directly lyse tumour cells with less-severe side effects compared to traditional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy. The main aim of this project is to develop and analyse a mathematical model that describes the synergistic effects of combining two oncolytic viruses. A combined analytical-numerical approach will be used to characterise the transient and qualitative dynamics of the model.  

While at the University of Oxford, Joseph’s research project, “Mathematical modelling of the synergistic anti-tumour effects of combining oncolytic viruses”, is motivated by experimental and clinical results which show that combining oncolytic viruses can enhance their overall efficacy. He aims to use various mathematical techniques (mathematical modelling, analysis and numerical methods) to investigate how such synergistic effects arise and how they depend on the properties of the viruses in question. Insights from Joseph’s research are likely to assist with developing and delivering oncolytic virotherapy.