Professor Leickness Simbayi is the executive director of the Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS and Health research programme. Prof Simbayi holds a doctorate in Experimental Psychology from the University of Sussex in England, United Kingdom. He has extensive experience in social science research and especially in qualitative and quantitative analysis of data as applied to psychology. He has taught in these areas and in Biological Psychology for 15 years (from 1986 to 2001) at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at five universities in Zambia and South Africa before joining the HSRC more than five years ago. Prof Simbayi has spent 7 years of his academic career as a head of a department or as departmental chairperson. He has successfully supervised 27 Master’s mini-theses/theses/dissertations and two doctorate theses. He is currently advising a number of Masters and Doctorate students on the behavioural and social aspects of HIV/AIDS at various universities in South Africa. Professor Simbayi’s research focuses mainly in the area of Applied Health Psychology especially on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), stress and burnout, substance abuse, and traditional healing. He is currently involved in several projects on the behavioural and social aspects of HIV/AIDS, especially in behavioural surveillance among the general population and in various sub-sectors of the economy, and also in theory-based HIV risk reduction interventions which also address closely-related issues such as repeat STI infections, alcohol use, gender violence, stigma and discrimination, and positive prevention among people living with HIV/AIDS. He has published numerous scientific articles in local and international peer-reviewed journals, abstracts, research reports, and chapters in books. He has also presented over 170 papers at local and international conferences. He is an associate editor of two peer-reviewed academic journals, namely AIDS & Behaviour and Journal of Psychology in Africa, and serves on the International Advisory Board of Vulnerable Children and Youth. |
