Quarraisha Abdool Karim Elected Fellow to the Royal Society

Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, PhD, an infectious diseases epidemiologist who is the Associate Scientific Director of The Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in Durban, South Africa (CAPRISA) and professor of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, the world’s oldest scientific academy. Formed in 1660, the Royal Society is a fellowship of the world's most eminent scientists. 

For over three decades, Quarraisha Abdool Karim has played a leading role in shaping the global HIV prevention field, especially in developing prevention technologies for adolescent girls and young women. Her landmark research—the CAPRISA 004 trial—demonstrated that antiretrovirals can prevent the sexual transmission of HIV, forming the foundation for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Abdool Karim has over 300 peer-reviewed publications and has helped train more than 600 African scientists. Her dedication to mentorship and empowering women in science has inspired the next generation of researchers, ensuring an enduring impact on science, public health research, and evidence-based policy. She holds the John C. Martin Chair in Global Health at CAPRISA and is Pro Vice-Chancellor (African Health) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. 

As President of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), she is a leading figure in global science leadership, and as the UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Adolescents and HIV, she continues to play a role in providing scientific support for the global AIDS response. 

As a newly elected Fellow of the Royal Society, Professor Abdool Karim joins the ranks of Stephen Hawking, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein, who have been Fellows during the Society’s illustrious history. She also joins Salim Abdool Karim, director of CAPRISA and a Columbia Mailman professor of epidemiology, as a fellow. 

Quarraisha Abdool Karim will be formally admitted as a Fellow to the Royal Society at a ceremony in London in July. 

Watch a video interview and read the full Royal Society press release on the CAPRISA website.