Derrick Semugenze is a biomedical laboratory scientist with about 10 years experience working in the Mycobacteriology research laboratory. He has worked on a number of research studies in tuberculosis including clinical trials evaluating new and repurposed treatment regimen and those evaluating new diagnostics. He obtained his Masters of immunology and clinical microbiology degree at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. He is currently pursuing his PhD at University of Amsterdam under Amsterdam public health and Amsterdam infection and immunity. He is also a PhD fellow at Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development.

He is passionate about basic and translational research especially in coinfection of TB and viruses with more focus on viruses other than HIV. He is currently assessing the association of exposure to cytomegalovirus and other viruses with tuberculosis susceptibility in children, TB presumptive adults and contacts to tuberculosis TB index cases under the Pre-FIT study as his PhD research. This research might lead to informing policy in TB diagnosis, management and vaccination.

After his PhD, he intends to continue working with his established network to dig deeper into this subject to investigate the exact mechanisms influencing TB susceptibility in populations coinfected with different viruses. Such research will provide an insight into how different viruses may affect the immunity to TB and hence influence of these viruses to TB disease outcome and TB vaccine candidates efficacy, effectiveness and protection.