Lungile Mbata

Lungile Mbata is a Clinical Project Manager at the Center for Biomedical Research at the Population Council, where she supports the implementation and management of programmes. Her work focuses on coordinating multidisciplinary teams, strengthening research operations, and delivering high-quality research in partnership with governments, donors, and community stakeholders.

Mbata has more than 15 years of experience in public health research, clinical trials, and programme management across Southern Africa. Before joining the Population Council, she held senior leadership positions at The Aurum Institute, where she managed multi-site HIV prevention, tuberculosis, and clinical research programmes funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USAID, and the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). Her expertise includes clinical trial management, implementation research, strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, and stakeholder engagement.

Mbata holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Pretoria and Bachelor’s and Honours degrees in Biochemistry, Physiology, and Pharmacology from the University of Cape Town. She is currently completing a PhD in Public Health at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.