The Department of Science and Innovation's South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) is managed by the National Research Foundation (NRF). The chairs are held by individuals. Their purpose is to strengthen the ability of our universities to produce high-quality research and nurture students.

Faculty of Commerce

• DSI/NRF-NDP Chair in Creation of Decent Work and Sustainable Livelihood – Professor Ines Meyer
• DSI/NRF Chair in Economic Sciences – Professor Haroon Bhorat
• DSI/NRF Chair in Governance and Economics for Ecological Infrastructure – Professor Martine Visser

Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment

• DSI/NRF Chair in Industrial Computational Fluid Dynamics – Professor Arnaud Malan
• DSI/NRF Chair in Nanomaterials for Catalysis – Professor Patricia Kooyman
• DSI/NRF Chair in Reaction Engineering – Professor Eric Van Steen
• DSI/NRF-CSIR Chair in Smart Mobility - Professor Marianne Vanderschuren
• DSI/NRF Chair in Sustainable Catalysis - Associate Professor Nico Fischer
• DSI/NRF-Sasol Chair in Energy and Power Systems Modelling: Grid Modelling - Associate Professor Sunetra Chowdhury

Faculty of Health Sciences

• DSI/NRF Chair in Biomedical Engineering and Innovation – Professor Sudesh Sivarasu
• DSI/NRF Chair in Cancer Biology – Professor Stefan Barth
• DSI/NRF Chair in Clinical Neuroscience – Professor Anthony Figaji
• DSI/NRF Chair in Dermatology and Toxicology – Professor Nonhlanhla Khumalo
• DSI/NRF Chair in Global Environmental health – Professor Aqiel Dalvie
• DSI/NRF Chair in Lung Infection and Immunity in Poverty Related Diseases – Professor Graeme Meintjes

Faculty of Humanities

• DSI/NRF Chair in Archive and Public Culture – Professor Carolyn Hamilton

Faculty of Law

• DSI/NRF-NDP Chair in Intellectual property, Innovation and Development – Professor Caroline Ncube
• DSI/NRF Chair in Mineral Law in Africa – Professor Hanri Mostert

Faculty of Sciences

• DSI/NRF Chair in Environmental and Social Dimensions of the Bio-economy – Professor Rachel Wynberg
• DSI/NRF Chair in Extragalactic Multi-wavelength Astronomy – Professor D.J. Pisano
• DSI/NRF Interim Chair in Modelling of the Coupled Ocean-Land Atmosphere Phenomena related to Climate – Professor Isabelle Ansorge
• DSI/NRF Chair in Physical Cosmology – Professor Amanda Weltman
• DSI/NRF Chair in Fast Transients and Gravitational Waves Counterparts – Professor Paul Groot
• DSI/NRF Chair in Stable Isotopes in Archaeology and Paleo-environmental Studies – Professor Judith Sealy
• DSI/NRF Chair in Systems Biology Studies on Plant Desiccation Tolerance for Food Security – Professor Jill Farrant
• DSI/NRF-UCT Chair in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Systems - Associate Professor Deshen Moodley