Athi was born in Mthatha, Eastern Cape in South Africa. He obtained his BSc (Hons.) degree in Chemistry from the University of Cape Town (UCT), graduating as the top Honours student in his class and receiving the James Moir medal from the South African Chemical Institute in 2017. Athi completed his MSc and PhD under the guidance of Professor Gregory S. Smith and Professor Sharon Prince at UCT, which focused on the synthesis and biological evaluation of polynuclear benzimidazole complexes for potential anticancer applications. After completing his PhD in 2023, Athi pursued postdoctoral research in the Prince Cancer Laboratory, exploring the mechanisms of action of novel trinuclear ruthenium(II) complexes for treating rhabdomyosarcoma. In July 2024, he joined the Frei Lab as a postdoctoral researcher to study the synthesis of novel metalloantibiotics using a combination of machine learning and high-throughput techniques. Outside the lab, Athi has a passion for motorcycles and loves both watching and playing rugby and basketball. He also enjoys spending time outdoors and socializing with new people