Bianca Verlinden received a PhD in Biochemistry in 2014 at the University of Pretoria; her research findings led to the discovery of novel antimalarial compounds. These findings have been presented at 14 international conferences and reviewed in 3 books. Bianca has received 5 international awards relating to her research and bioentrepreneurship endeavors. She is an enthusiastic scientific communicator and has delivered civic engagement talks at several discovery centers and high schools.