National Research Foundation Awards
The annual National Research Foundation (NRF) Awards recognise and celebrate South African research excellence.
The annual National Research Foundation (NRF) Awards recognise and celebrate South African research excellence. The awards presented to researchers are in two categories: the ratings linked awards and special recognition awards. The special recognition awards, listed here, provide a platform to honour researchers for career achievements and contributions to knowledge creation and dissemination, as well as capacity development and transformation.
Lifetime Achievement
Department of Astronomy, Faculty of Science
Michael Feast is listed in the international Who's Who, has had a minor planet named after him (Asteroid no. 10985 Feast, discovered from Mt Palomar in 1977), and has represented South African astronomy at the highest international level. As director of the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) from 1976 to 1992 he was responsible for the development of SAAO as a major international and national facility.
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences
Lionel Opie of the Hatter Institute of Cardiology Research was described as "Africa's best known heart doctor" in the citation for the Order of Mapungubwe (Silver) in 2006 for his "excellent contribution to the knowledge of and achievement in the field of cardiology". He has received many awards that recognise his lifelong commitment to the lives of South Africans who suffer from heart disease.
Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences
Timothy Noakes co-founded the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA) and has produced more than 500 scientific publications, been cited more than 15 000 times in scientific literature, has an H-index of 66 and is rated an A1 scientist by the National Research Foundation of South Africa.
Njabulo Ndebele, author, scholar and former vice-chancellor of UCT, is one of South Africa's literary icons. He received worldwide acclaim for his work, which includes The Cry of Winnie Mandela, the children's book Bonolo & and the Peach Tree, Rediscovery of the Ordinary, and Fools & Other Stories. Ndebele has been active in international and African academic organisations, serving as president of the Association of African Universities and on the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
Research Excellence Award for Early Career / Emerging Researchers
Associate Professor Nastassja Koen (2023)
Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences
Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment
Amir Patel’s research uses robotics to understand the locomotion of animals, as well as techniques such as sensor fusion, optimal control and physical experiments to understand the neuromechanics of manoeuvrability.
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
Dr Wade Petersen’s work focuses on the use of small organic molecules (organocatalysis) and light energy (photocatalysis) as key technologies for chemical synthesis.
Department of English Language and Literature
Christopher Ouma’s career path, so far, has been framed by two research projects. The first draws connections between childhood studies and African diasporic studies, gender studies, and memory studies in the context of contemporary African identity formation. The other lies at the intersection of literary history and cultural studies by examining small (literary) magazines in mid-century Africa (1955–1975) and the ways they created conditions for Pan-African imagination.
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences
Mohlopheni Marakalala’s research focuses on understanding immune factors associated with the pathological progression of tuberculosis (TB) with a view to developing new therapies to augment current treatment protocols. He is currently an associate member of the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at UCT and a visiting scientist at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences
The expertise of Mark Engel lies in epidemiology and evidence-based medicine research methods. His research includes all aspects of rheumatic heart disease, with particular interest in Group A Streptococcus (GAS), the organism involved in disease development. Engel shares this award with Professor Nosipho Moloto of the University of the Witwatersrand.
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences
Ntobeko Ntusi, of the Division of Cardiology within the Department of Medicine, received this award for his work in better understanding cardiovascular disease, particularly in an African setting. On receiving this award, Ntusi was in the process of completing his clinical training in cardiology and working to establish an independent research programme on the study of cardiomyopathies and myocarditis.
Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers
Ms Taryn Golding (2023)
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment
Jessica Fell is using a novel planning and decision-support tool to strategically identify opportunities to repurpose stormwater ponds into multi-functional blue-green Infrastructure. Her research is interdisciplinary and aids in planning for equitable water-sensitive cities in South Africa.
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities
Nkosiyomzi Haile Matutu’s research explores the topic of intimate partner violence in men’s same-sex relationships. His work asks important questions about ethics, politics, epistemology and theory and what this means for the purpose of research and for those he works with.
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
Athi Welsh’s research is grounded in solving problems important to the pharmaceutical industry and improving the health and well-being of all. His approach offers a lesser-explored route to eradicating cancer and potentially new modes of action for targeting diseases in sub-Saharan Africa and globally.
Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences
Neelakshi Mungra’s research looks at engineering affordable cutting-edge antibody technologies that can be used to leverage the development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools for cancer and infectious diseases, especially in developing countries like South Africa.
Public Engagement in Research Award
Department of Environmental and Geographical Science
Rachel Wynberg’s work aims to address the knowledge gaps that exist around the environmental, political and social dynamics of the bio-economy. Through her research and public engagements, Wynberg seeks to deepen critical thinking about these questions and to inspire scholarship that explores possibilities for socially just and environmentally sustainable approaches – with a particular focus on the Global South.
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health
Liesl Zühlke has prioritised raising awareness about neglected cardiovascular diseases of childhood, and disseminating her team’s research findings to the affected public. She has made extra efforts to engage with audiences outside of her research domain through multiple mediums. In addition, Zühlke has extensive experience engaging with policymakers, as well as convening and attending high-level meetings.
Champion of Research Capacity Development and Transformation at South African Higher Education Institutions
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
Under the leadership of Kelly Chibale, the Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D) strives to train a new generation of African scientists with the skills required to combat Africa's high burden of disease. The goal is to bridge the gap between basic research and clinical studies and ensure the pipeline of drug discovery and development remains on the continent.
Dean of Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment
Alison Emslie Lewis was honoured for her outstanding work in actively training, fostering and mentoring a number of black and female students in industrial crystallisation research.
Hamilton Naki Award
Formerly known as the Transformation of the Science Cohort Award, this award’s name was changed during 2015 to the Hamilton Naki Award in honour of one of South Africa’s unsung heroes of science.
Professor Abdul Tayob
Department for the Study of Religions, Faculty of Humanities
Department of African Studies & Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities
Rajend Mesthrie’s research emphasises the significance of sociolinguistics in understanding heritage, culture and social change in a multilingual society, one in which migration is an important – if not a defining – feature. In 2008, he was appointed the joint Department of Science and Innovation and National Research Foundation South African Research Chair in migration, language and social change.
Department of Human Biology
Sharon Prince leads a large research group that studies novel therapeutic interventions and drug targets for the treatment of cancer. She has supervised 78 students from honours to postdoctoral level, most of whom were from marginalised groups. Since 2001, she has published more than 72 articles in peer-reviewed publications, including PLoS Genetics and Nature Communications. Her other fellowship awards include the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust and the Harry Crossley Senior Clinical fellowships.
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science
Edmund February has played a pivotal role in directing the funding of ecological research and in the development of nature reserves. He has supervised and graduated 16 MSc and four PhD students and has garnered numerous awards and fellowships.
Centre for African Studies
Lungisile Ntsebeza’s research focuses on three themes: democratisation in the countryside; land and equity; and social movements in the land sector. In 2008, he was appointed the DST-NRF Research Chair in Land Reform and Democracy in South Africa: State and Civil Society Dynamics, building its Centre for African Studies into a major international focal point for research on Africa.
Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, Faculty of Science
Maano Ramutsindela was recognised for his work of attracting more black scientists to academia and helping them become leaders in their respective fields.
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science
Head of the Department of Biological Science and author of Famous Dinosaurs of Africa, Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan was awarded the Transformation of the Science Cohort Award for her work in palaeobiology.
Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences
Bongani Mayosi won the award for his contribution to science, engineering, technology and innovation (SETI) through management and related activities. His work focused on building, managing and leading capacity development in research in the context of the Groote Schuur Hospital.
Science Team
Groote Schuur Hospital
Ground-breaking scientific discoveries are rarely made by a single individual. Instead, it is often the efforts of a team working collaboratively. This was certainly the case for Professor Bongani Mayosi, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and his team when they discovered the gene responsible for Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricle Cardiomyopathy which can cause sudden death in people younger than 35, particularly during athletic activity. The discovery came after 20 years of research and collaboration between scientists in South Africa, led by Prof Mayosi and including cardiologists Prof Ntobeko Ntusi and Dr Ashley Chin, and a team from Italy’s Auxologico Institute in Milan, led by Prof Peter Schwartz and Dr Lia Crotti.