Nevio Sarmento

Honorary Fellow

Qualifications:

PhD, Charles Darwin University, 2025; Master of Science in Medical Technology (Microbiology) Mahidol University, Thailand, 2016; Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (Hons), Fiji School of Medicine – University of the South Pacific, Fiji, 2009

Location:

Dili, Timor-Leste

Biography:

Dr. Nevio Sarmento is a microbiologist and honorary fellow at Menzies, based in Dili, Timor-Leste. He completed his PhD studies from Charles Darwin University, Australia focusing on vaccine impact studies, where his pneumococcal carriage study formed the bases for the introduction of Pneumosil (PCV-10) in Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste was the first country to introduce Pneumosil in the world. He is also a Mahidol University alumnus having spent 3 years in Thailand studying master’s in medical technology majoring in Microbiology. Since April 2025, he chairs the TL National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group, Timor-Leste (NITAG-TL) and assumes the role as the Director General for Technical Scientific Affairs of the National Institute of Public Health, Timor-Leste (INSP-TL).

He has worked on multiple collaborative projects with Australian lead institutions mainly with Menzies, and other institution such as NCIRS, MCRI, Kirby Institute and other international partners. He was a Chief Investigator (CI) on the MATCH-TL project which aimed to strengthen diagnosis and surveillance of infectious diseases in Timor-Leste by working closely with the TL Ministry of Health to improve access to quality laboratory diagnostic testing for Malaria, Tuberculosis, COVID-19, and HIV. He was also a CI on the seroprevalence study of COVID-19 and other vaccine-preventable diseases through ARIA-RISE projects. 

He led an ARIA-RISE funded TL community carriage study and co-led a Molecular Diagnostic Leprosy project funded by the Australian Centre for the Control and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases. In 2024 he was awarded the RISE-2 Grant from the University to run the Rotavirus Immunisation Program Evaluation in Timor-Leste (RIPE-TL) project in Timor-Leste as the Principal Investigator. The RIPE-TL project will run until December 2026.

He has authored and co-authored 21 international articles on antimicrobial resistance, infectious diseases, vaccine preventable diseases and laboratory system strengthening in TL since 2015. He regularly provides technical advice on surveillance, health system and laboratory system development to the Directorate General of Laboratory of INSP-TL and Ministry of Health in Timor-Leste. 

You can read all his research at ResearchGate or ORCID.