Rate My Professor Armanda Bastos

Armanda Bastos is a Professor in the Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases at the University of Pretoria, where she manages the One Health platform at the Hans Hoheisen Wildlife Research Station. She coordinates the MSc in Global One Health, a joint programme with the Institute for Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, while maintaining an active role in the Department of Zoology and Entomology. Bastos holds a BSc in Genetics and Zoology, a BSc Honours in Genetics, an MSc in Genetics, and a PhD in Molecular Virology, all from the University of Pretoria. Her career at the university began in 2000 as a lecturer in Zoology and Entomology, with subsequent promotions to senior lecturer in 2002, associate professor in 2007, and full professor in 2013. She previously served as Head of the Department of Zoology and Entomology from 2018 to 2022 and as Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Mammal Research Institute from 2016 to 2017. Prior to joining the university, she worked as a veterinary researcher at the ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute from 1994 to 2000.

Bastos’s research focuses on the molecular epidemiology, diagnostics, taxonomy, and evolution of viral, bacterial, zoonotic, and vector-borne disease agents, with emphasis on transboundary animal diseases, wildlife infectious disease epidemiology, conservation genetics, and One Health approaches. She has authored or co-authored 128 scientific papers and seven book chapters and has supervised or co-supervised 22 doctoral, 38 master’s, and 22 honours students to completion. She serves on the editorial board of CABI One Health and has held previous editorial positions with PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, BMC Genetics, and Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Bastos is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa and a fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa, among other professional societies. She has received awards including the University of Pretoria Exceptional Academic Achiever Award in 2024, induction as a Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa in 2023, and fellowship of the Royal Society of South Africa in 2019.