Open to opportunities

Lydia Gibango

@lydiagibango

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Medicinal plant scientist with lab and cosmetic R&D expertise.

South Africa

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What I'm looking for

I seek R&D or laboratory roles where I can apply medicinal-plant and microbiology expertise, contribute to product development and regulatory compliance, and grow in formulation or analytical responsibilities within a collaborative, quality-driven team.

I am a medicinal plant scientist with an MSc in Medicinal Plant Sciences and just under five years of laboratory research and analysis experience across academia, scientific research institutes, and the cosmetic manufacturing industry. I have led and contributed to antimycobacterial drug screening projects, authored peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and applied rigorous laboratory standards including ISO and GMP to deliver reproducible results.

More recently I transitioned into cosmetic research and development, manufacturing R&D batches, compiling audit-ready Product Information Files, conducting stability and safety assessments, and measuring QC parameters to support product registration. I combine strong technical competencies in microbiology, chromatography, spectroscopy and assay work with solid documentation, SOP development, and data analysis skills, and I bring a reliable, positive, detail-oriented approach to multidisciplinary teams.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Research & Development Assistant

Current

Optiphi

Apr 2024 - Present (1 year 5 months)

Manufacture and test R&D cosmetic formulations while ensuring GMP and ISO 13485/22716 compliance; compiled audit-ready PIFs, safety and risk assessments and ran stability and QC testing to support product launches.

Stability Testing Formulation Quality Control Product Information Files Risk Assessment Cosmetic Manufacturing Documentation

Junior Talent Acquisition Specialist

Glonexus

Aug 2023 - Apr 2024 (8 months)

Created social media content, sourced business leads and identified potential candidates for client roles to support recruitment operations during unpaid tenure.

Talent Sourcing Lead Generation Communication CRM

Research Lab Technician

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

Nov 2021 - Mar 2023 (1 year 4 months)

Performed BSL-2/BSL-3 mycobacterial culture and drug screening, identifying antimicrobial hits and supporting data analysis and reporting while maintaining ISO 15189-compliant lab quality and safety.

Mycobacteria Culturing Drug Susceptibility Testing Antimicrobial Screening Data Analysis ISO 15189

Junior Lab Assistant

University of Pretoria

Feb 2019 - Dec 2020 (1 year 10 months)

Conducted antimycobacterial laboratory tests, managed reagent procurement and safety-compliant waste disposal, and prepared progress reports to document research outcomes.

Antimycobacterial Testing Media Preparation Laboratory management Report Writing Procurement SOPs Aseptic Technique

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

University of Pretoria

Master of Science, Medicinal Plant Sciences

Completed a Master of Science (MSc) in Medicinal Plant Sciences with research on antimycobacterial activity and herb–drug interactions of selected South African plants.