Vestergaard (www.Vestergaard.com) and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) are pleased to announce that Dr Jackline Martin has joined Vestergaard as a Vector Product Development Associate through the I2I Vector Control Professional Placement Programme (VCP3) (http://apo-opa.co/3WVUFND).
Malaria continues to pose a major public health challenge across sub-Saharan Africa, and vector control is a fundamental component of disease control strategies on the path to elimination. The VCP3 initiative, coordinated by Innovation to Impact (I2I) within LSTM, bridges research and industry to equip scientists from African institutes with hands-on experience in vector control innovation with industry partners. The programme will provide a platform for scientific researchers to engage in practical experience in industry settings through a 1-year secondment, allowing for two-way knowledge exchange to ensure that scientific, contextual insights drive the development of relevant and effective malaria control tools.
Dr Martin will be based in the Vestergaard East Africa office in Nairobi, Kenya, during the 1-year placement. With 12 years of experience in mosquito behaviour and product evaluation, her expertise in field-based vector control research will contribute to product development and testing. She previously worked as an Entomologist at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College’s Pan-African Malaria Vector Research Consortium (PAMVERC) research centre in Tanzania and earned her doctorate from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
I2I works to foster industry and research relationships, providing resources and platforms for engagement across the malaria vector control sector. Collaborating with Vestergaard on this initiative will foster cross-sector innovation while equipping scientists with the skills needed to develop and deploy effective tools in the fight against malaria.
Dr Jackline Martin, Vector Product Development Associate at Vestergaard, said: “As a participant of the I2I Vector Control Professional Placement Programme, I believe that exchanging ideas and expertise bridges gaps, strengthens solutions, and drives sustainable impact – transforming individual insights into collective action and making knowledge a catalyst for lasting change.”
Dr Rinki Deb, Director of Science, Research and Market Access at Vestergaard, said: “Knowledge exchange is key to strengthening malaria vector control. Dr Martin’s insights and expertise will greatly complement our team’s experience in innovation and product evaluation, as we aim to narrow the gaps between science, research and industry. We are delighted to welcome her to Vestergaard, and are confident that this collaboration will contribute to the development and evaluation of next-generation vector control tools.”
Kirsten Duda, Communications Officer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said on behalf of I2I: “We believe that this is a truly unique opportunity within the vector control sector. The VCP3 offers an opportunity for scientists from African research institutes to be placed with leading industry partners, fully funded for an entire year, gaining insights into how industry partners operate, and hands on experience in the key components that are required to develop and bring vector control products to market. Both industry partners and researchers will have the opportunity to work side-by-side for a full year, in a collaborative effort to learn and approach vector control with new insights and perspectives. We hope that this programme will allow for not just individual development, but a shared knowledge exchange that will strengthen cross-sector collaboration.”
Join us for a LinkedIn Live conversion on 11 February 2025 at 13:30 CET: Teaming up to tackle malaria vector control: knowledge exchange and mentorship.
To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science (http://apo-opa.co/3WXDAmj), Vestergaard and I2I will be joining Envu – another organization that will be hosting a VCP3 placement – for a LinkedIn Live conversation exploring the role of female scientists and industry leaders in advancing innovation in vector control. The roundtable discussion will highlight the impact of mentorship, collaboration and knowledge exchange in strengthening vector control efforts and the importance of industry-academic partnerships in driving innovation. Click here (http://apo-opa.co/40UOxpQ) for more details.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Vestergaard Sàrl.
Further information:
Vestergaard:
Sarah-Jane Loveday,
Director of Communication&Marketing
media@vestergaard.com
I2I:
Kirsten Duda,
Communications Officer,
Innovation to Impact
contact@innovation2impact.org
About Vestergaard:
Vestergaard is a dynamic social enterprise dedicated to innovation in material science that can help solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Our PermaNet® insecticide-treated bed nets have become a mainstay of global malaria elimination programmes. Founded in Denmark in 1957, today the company is headquartered in Switzerland, with manufacturing and quality testing operations in Vietnam. We have a strong presence in Africa, with employees located across the Sub-Saharan region and facilities including a vector control research laboratory in Ghana established in partnership with the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research. We have been a member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2006 and a certified B Corporation since 2021. For more information, please visit www.Vestergaard.com
About Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is the world’s oldest centre of excellence in tropical medicine and international public health. It has been engaged in the fight against infectious, debilitating and disabling diseases since 1898 and continues that tradition today with a research portfolio of over £745 million and a teaching programme attracting students from dozens of countries.
For more information, please visit: https://www.LSTMed.ac.uk
About Innovation to Impact:
I2I works to reduce the impact of vector-borne diseases and contribute to their eventual elimination by improving the product development landscape for vector control tools, supporting enhanced evaluation processes, facilitating sustained quality of vector control products and improving their judicious and safe use with a focus on shortening time to market.
