Dr. Pax Masimba is a Seniour Research Fellow, and the acting Director of the Institute of Traditional Medicine (ITM) in Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) since 2024. He holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and a Master of Veterinary Medicine in Microbiology from Sokoine University of Agriculture and a PhD in Microbiology from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel. He has received additional training in malaria parasite culture, HIV screening, NMR techniques and climate-related research on medicinal plants. Since joining MUHAS in 2005, he has served in various academic and leadership roles, including 12 years as Head of Department. His research focuses on the discovery of antimicrobial, antimalarial, antidiabetic, anti-HIV, and anticancer agents from medicinal plants, with over 30 publications in peer-reviewed journals.