Pretoria - Three Unisa lecturers received Special Recognition Awards for Research Excellence at the 2023 National Research Foundation Awards.
They are Kabelo Mokgalaboni (lecturer: Life and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences), Dr Athi Mavukwana (lecturer, Civil and Chemical Engineering, College of Science, Engineering and Technology) and Professor Lawrence Madikizela (Associate Professor, Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology).
The university said the trio of awards again give effect to Unisa’s vision “to become a centre of excellence and a lever of optimum, impactful participation in the global knowledge arena, as championed by Professor Puleng LenkaBula, the institution’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor”.
Viewed as the benchmark for research excellence in South Africa, the annual awards recognise individual academics and teams for their recent outstanding scientific achievements.
Their internationally competitive work is assessed for, among other things, the contribution to the field of study focusing on quality and impact on society.
Mokgalaboni and Mavukwana both received the Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers, while Madikizela received the Research Excellence Award for Early Career/Emerging Researchers.
Through the Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers, the National Research Foundation provides funding to postgraduate students to address skills shortages in all of the sciences, including the natural sciences, engineering, technology, the humanities and social sciences.
One of the objectives is to increase the prospect of retaining suitably qualified young researchers and thus increasing the pool of researchers and knowledge workers in the “National System of Innovation”. This award recognises excellence in research performance by doctoral students from any discipline who are currently funded by the National Research Foundation.
Through the Research Excellence Award for Early Career/Emerging Researchers, the National Research Foundation aspires to develop and enhance the research stature of Early Career/Emerging Researchers, prioritising “blacks, females, and people with disabilities” as part of its transformation agenda.
Pretoria News