Dr. Xylia Q. Peters

Dr Xylia Quintina Peters is a South African pharmaceutical scientist, computational researcher, and postdoctoral fellow with interdisciplinary expertise spanning pharmaceutical chemistry, computational drug design, nanomedicine, and data-driven biomedical research.

Dr Peters holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where her doctoral research centered on a bio-computational investigation of tankyrases as promising oncogenic therapeutic targets. Her work addressed critical challenges in cancer drug discovery, including selectivity and mechanistic ambiguity, through molecular modelling, docking, and molecular dynamics simulations. This research contributed novel structural and mechanistic insights into tankyrase inhibition and strengthened the role of in silico methods in early-stage drug discovery.

She also holds a Master of Medical Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences from UKZN, during which she developed a rapid and cost-effective LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantification of first-line HIV and tuberculosis drugs. This work was motivated by the need for improved therapeutic drug monitoring in resource-limited clinical settings and reflects her longstanding commitment to research with real-world health impact. Her academic foundation is further supported by an Honours degree and Bachelor’s degree in Medical Science (Anatomy), where she conducted extensive anatomical research on the thyroid gland and oesophageal vasculature.

Dr Peters has a strong publication record, with over a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles in high-impact international journals, including ACS Omega, International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Journal of Controlled Release, ACS Applied BioMaterials, and Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery. Her research outputs span cancer therapeutics, antimicrobial resistance, nanocarrier-based drug delivery, inflammasome modulation, and computational pharmacology. She is an active participant in the global scientific community and has presented her work at national and international conferences across Africa, Europe, and the United Kingdom.

In addition to her research contributions, Dr Peters has extensive academic teaching and mentoring experience. She has served as a student lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry and as a demonstrator and research assistant in Anatomy at UKZN, contributing to undergraduate teaching, assessment, and academic development. Her dedication to academic excellence has been recognized through multiple awards, including first prize for postdoctoral oral presentation and second prize for postdoctoral poster presentation at UKZN College of Health Sciences Research Symposia.

Dr Peters is deeply committed to continuous professional development and capacity building in science and technology. She has completed numerous advanced training programmes in bioinformatics, high-performance computing, genomics, molecular modelling, programming, and data analysis. She is currently further strengthening her computational skill set through a Postgraduate Diploma in Data Analytics, reflecting her growing interest in the integration of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data approaches into pharmaceutical and biomedical research.

Beyond academia, Dr Peters is a passionate advocate for community engagement, youth development, and science-driven social impact. She has been actively involved in youth advisory groups, mobile medical clinics, soup kitchens, blood donation drives, and health awareness initiatives. Her participation in international youth forums and outreach programmes underscores her belief that science should serve society and that equitable access to healthcare and education is essential for sustainable development.

Dr Peters is a member of several professional and scientific organizations, including the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), the International Society for Computational Biology, and the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa. Through her work, mentorship, and service, she aims to contribute meaningfully to scientific innovation while empowering the next generation of women scientists, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Her long-term vision is to operate at the interface of pharmaceutical sciences, computational biology, and data analytics, leveraging emerging technologies to address complex global health challenges and to advance inclusive, ethical, and impactful scientific research.