Stephanie Ncube was born and raised in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. From a very young age her parents instilled in her and her siblings the value of an education and she quickly developed a deep love for science and math. Her university journey began in 2013 at the University of Cape Town, where she is currently pursuing her PhD in Medicine, specializing in Medical Cell Biology. Her research involves identifying and characterizing an essential signaling pathway that drives breast cancer progression and figuring out a way to target breast cancer cells while preserving the normal cells and mitigating the harsh side effects of treatment. Her research has shown that the transcription factor TBX3 drives breast cancer migration and invasion. Since transcription factors are notoriously undruggable, Stephanie’s research focuses on indirectly targeting TBX3 by identifying protein partners that TBX3 interacts with and thereby isolating more druggable targets to treat breast cancer.
Her short-term goal is to gain the skills to establish herself as an excellent researcher in the field of breast cancer research. Her long-term goal is to become an investigator in a cancer research institute. Cancer has affected a number of people in her life, including her mother, who is currently undergoing treatment. Stephanie is on track to achieve to achieve these goals. Her referees describe her as researcher and professional “par excellence”.
Stephanie will be the first person in her clan to obtain a PhD and she hopes to be a role model for other aspiring black women scientists.
