RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT

Prof Madiba has over 20 years of experience in broad public health. She has extensive experience in academic teaching and research, and she has mentored and supervised master’s and doctoral students over the years. She also serves on the editorial boards of several international journals, including BMC Public Health, Plos One, Sage Women’s Health, and Frontiers in Reproductive Health.  Prof Madiba’s research focuses on the psychosocial well-being of children and adolescents living with perinatal HIV. Over the last ten years, she has studied parental/caregiver disclosure to children, onward self-disclosure of HIV status to significant others, sexual behaviour, medication adherence, and mental health issues that affect adolescents with perinatal HIV’s ability to live positively.  Her research focus has resulted in the publication of 91 refereed articles in national and international journals. She has also authored and co-authored 34 oral papers for international conferences, 46 oral papers for national and local meetings, and a book chapter.

Prof Saraswathie Govender lectures in the areas of neuropsychology and research methodology at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She is also involved in the supervision of research projects at honours, masters and PHD levels. She has been involved in a number of studies on cumulative mild head injury due to sports injury in children; alcohol and substance abuse; the neuropsychological functioning of children with epilepsy; HIV/AIDS; psychosocial aspects of homosexuality as well as gender-based violence. She was given the Best Female Researcher Award in the Faculty of Humanities in 2017. Her passion has seen her form collaborations on a national and international stage, allowing her to be a Co-Investigator on the HSRC–UL collaboration project: Engaging Youth with Research in Substance Abuse: Creating Awareness Through Arts in Sekhukhune District, Limpopo Province, and a team member of the Sustainable Academic Capacity Building in Research and Training (SACERT) programme between UL and UCLA. From 2015 to 2019, Prof Govender was involved as a project partner in the Vlaamse Interuitveristaire Institutional Cooperation (VLIR-IUC) project entitled “Human Wellness in the Context of Global Change: Finding solutions for Rural Africa”. She supervised three masters and one doctoral student on this project. She has published 20 articles in accredited journals in the fields of neuropsychology and health, and presented 14 papers at international conferences and 16 papers nationally, respectively. She has further authored or co-authored 13 book chapters. Prof Govender More than a 100 Honours research projects, 20 graduated Masters students, four graduated PhD students, and she is currently supervising four PhD students and five Masters students.

Prof Tebogo Mothiba’s research interest in Knowledge Management in the areas of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), Communicable Diseases (CDs), and Health Services Management has resulted in the publication of 108 research articles with colleagues and postgraduate students from 2012 to date. She has written nine book chapters, seven of which are for 2021, four of which have already been published and three are in the works (These book chapters were written with colleagues nationally, internationally and PhD students). In addition, over the last five years, she has presented eight papers at national and international conferences. She received recognition for her research work in 2013 when she was awarded the Top Academic Achiever Award by the University of Johannesburg for her doctoral degree. Prof Mothiba has also been recognised for her research efforts at UL, including being named Best Overall Female Researcher in the University 2019, Best Established Researcher in the School 2019, Best Established Researcher in the University 2016, Best Established Researcher in the University 2013, and Best Established Researcher in the University 2013.

Prof Jabulani Makhubele is a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Social Work, specialising in public health social work issues, substance abuse, migration, and climate change. He has presented at over 30 conferences, both domestic and international, co-edited a book, and co-authored five chapters in two books. Prof Makhubele has also contributed more than 65 articles on topics such as substance abuse, noncommunicable diseases, migration, and climate change.

He has established national and international collaborations. This includes working as a project leader on a study with two sister universities, North-West University and the University of Venda. Militating and Mitigating Factors for Social Justice, Sustainable Development, and Quality of Life of the Migrant Population in Selected Provinces of South Africa: Implications for Policy and Practice Considerations is his research project funded by the National Institute for Human and Social Sciences (NIHSS) from 2020 to 2023.

He completed a study commissioned by the National Department of Justice and Correctional Services in which he and his team developed the Sexual Offender Treatment Programme, which is now being implemented in South African correctional facilities. Between 2016 and 2019, Prof Makhubele led a team on an NRF and NCRST-funded joint study between UL and the University of Namibia. This collaboration resulted in the publication of eight articles in accredited and referred journals.

Professor Malose Makhubela is currently involved in an international research project (COVIDiSTRESS [2022]) that is studying COVID-19 in more than 21 countries and has already published one research article in the prestigious Nature Journal (Scientific Data). He is a participant in a national project (2022) funded by the National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) to investigate the psychological impact of COVID-19 on South African teenagers. He has collaborated on research with researchers from the University of Houston (USA) and the University of Salford (UK) (Manchester). He was named Researcher of the Year (Faculty of Humanities, Applied Social Science Cluster) at the University of Pretoria in 2016, and he is currently a member of the Editorial Board of the African Journal of Psychological Assessment (AJOPA). Prof Makhubela has published extensively in international and high impact journals on statistical modelling, measurement, ontology, and nosology of psychopathology, and has presented more than 20 papers at national and international conferences in Greece, Lithuania, Senegal, Canada, and Hungary. His research interests include improving understanding of psychopathology modelling, measurement, ontology, symptomatics, and nosology. He has supervised over 25 postgraduate students and is currently supervising 10 students. He has written over five book chapters, co-edited one book, and served as a guest editor for one special issue journal.

Prof Shepherd Mpofu is an Associate Professor of Media and Communications. He is an African Humanities Programme Fellow. He co-edited three books: Digital humour in the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives from the Global South; Politics of Laughter in the Social Media: Perspectives from the Global South, and Mediating Xenophobia in Africa: Unpacking Discourses of Migration, Belonging and Othering. Prof Mpofu regularly publishes in academic journals on themes such as digital and new media, media and politics, media and identity, gender, genocide, race and decolonial studies. He has produced 48 research articles and presented research papers in over 31 national and international conferences.  He has supervised 21 postgraduate students and is currently supervising seven postgraduates.

Prof Toks Oyedemi’s interests include Social Inequalities and Communication, Digital Inequalities, Digital Culture, Global Media Studies, Political Economy of Communication, Media, Culture and Identity, Coloniality, Communication, and Culture. He has authored over 26 research articles in communication and media studies, as well as nine book chapters and edited two books. Prof Oyedemi has previously established collaborations through which he embarked on a research project on Social Inequalities and Communication with Prof Jan Servaes (UNESCO Chair of Communication and Sustainable Social Change at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, USA) and a research project on Communication, Protest, and Social Change with Professor Lubinga (University of Johannesburg). He was a Research Grant Holder at the National Center for Digital Government, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA (2010-2011), a Research Fellow at the Center for Communication for Sustainable Social Change (CSSC), College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA (2008-2012), and a Research Fellow at the National Center for Digital Government (NCDG), Center for Public Policy and Administration, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA (2010 -2011). Prof Oyedemi has presented at 23 conferences, both domestically and internationally. He currently supervises eight postgraduate students and has previously supervised 25 postgraduate students.

Prof Olufemi Abodunrin in the Department of Languages has in the past received British Overseas Research Students Award, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Postdoctoral Research Grants for Young Academics and Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation Postdoctoral Research award. His research interest include African Diasporic Literature and Postcolonial theory; Indigenous Knowledge Systems and their Performative modes.  He has completed the supervision of 10 PhD students, PhDs, more than 20 masters, and 40 Honours students. His current supervision include three PhDs and, four masters and four Honours students. He has present in more than twenty papers in national and international conferences published more than thirty research articles in peer-review national and international journals, and authored and co-authored more than 10 book chapters.He has in the past established collaborations with the Commonwealth Institute, London, UK, Commonwealth Scholarship – PhD CSC-Split-Site Research Group – 2019, and is currently working on a research project tiltled: The Days the Music Died – Precarities, Access Inequalities and Diversities among Cultural Workers – Brett Pyper, School of Arts, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Olufemi Abodunrin, Department of Languages, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa et al.

Associate Professor, Ian Cook teaches Basic Human Physiology & Physiological/Biochemical Basis of Physical Education; Head the Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory (EDST). He conducts research through the use of objective measures of physical activity, sleep and sedentary behaviour in free-living populations, specifically in rural and peri-urban African populations. He is part of the UL site investigator team for the internationally-funded AWIGen Phase 1 and 2 projects, which now continues under the auspices of the DIMAMO Population Health Research Centre (DPHRC) since 2016. He initiated contact with the ProPASS (Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep) Consortium (https://www.propassconsortium.org/) in 2019. In February 2020 a Memorandum of Understanding was concluded. This included an equipment loan from the consortium for two years, and the sharing of accelerometry, morbidity and mortality data from the AWI-Gen Phase 2 project and the Dimamo Population Health Research Centre surveillance. He has collaborated with colleagues from the University of Witwatersrand (Centre for Exercise Science and Sport, Faculty of Health Sciences) and published a paper in 2021. To extend this collaboration, Prof Cook and colleagues are currently exploring further initiatives. He has published 30 papers and has an H-Index = 10.

He is part of the University of Limpopo (UL)’s site investigator team for the internationally-funded AWIGen Phase 1 and 2 projects, which now continues under the auspices of the DIMAMO Population Health Research Centre (DPHRC) since 2016. He initiated contact with the ProPASS (Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep) Consortium (https://www.propassconsortium.org/) in 2019. In February 2020 a Memorandum of Understanding was concluded – this included an equipment loan from the consortium for two years, and the sharing of accelerometry, morbidity and mortality data from the AWI-Gen Phase 2 project and the Dimamo Population Health Research Centre surveillance. Given the global disruption due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the equipment transfer was put on hold.

Professor Solomon Mashegoane works as the Head of the Department of Psychology at the University of Limpopo. His research focus has been mostly in psychometrics and health psychology. However, Prof. Mashegoane conducts research in the areas of health risk behaviour, covering behaviours such as sexual risk and health psychology. His current research project includes a study on psychological reactions to COVID-19. He obtained his PhD in Psychology from the University of Limpopo in 2012 and has been linked to the Journal of Psychology as an Associate Editor and the African Journal of Psychological Assessment as an Executive Editor. To date, Prof. Mashegoane has authored and co-authored enormous articles published in various journals of psychology and has presented papers at national and international psychology and philosophy conferences in Canada and Senegal, among others. Over and above, Prof. Mashegoane has supervised over 39 students.

Prof Lesibana Rafapa is an internationally active member of the Oxford Round Table for Religion based in Oxford, United Kingdom; the Association of Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies (ACLALS) based in the Caribbean; the African Literature Association (ALA) based in Ohio, United States of America; and a member of the International Society for the Oral Literatures of Africa founded in London. Locally, he is a board member of the Puku Children’s Literature Foundation, a member of the Oral History Association of South Africa (OHASA), and an Executive Committee member of the English Academy of Southern Africa. He has completed an NRF-funded research project (registration no. 06/ENG/04) in September 2007, entitled “The indigenous art of rainmaking among the Mamaala clan in the Mokopane area of Limpopo, South Africa.” He has published seven peer-reviewed book chapters and five peer-reviewed international conference proceedings as a sole author. He published 16 peer-reviewed articles and a total of nine articles in non-accredited journals and newspapers. They are in the areas of Es’kia Mphahlele’s concept of African Humanism; African spirituality in African literature; English literature; African literature; English South African post-apartheid literature written by black authors; celebratory orality in the cultural practice of male circumcision, and traditional female circumcision. His research interests are in English literature, African literature, cultural studies, oral literature, oral history, spirituality as reflected in literature, and the cultural roots of African literary discourses. Prof Rafapa has supervised five students to completion and is currently supervising two PhD students.

Prof Maoto Satsope research focuses on classroom interactions as well as issues of mathematics teaching, learning, and assessment that have implications for teachers’ understanding of mathematics learning. She takes a reformist approach to mathematics education. This stems from her belief that mathematics educators can create rich learning environments that shape learners’ reasoning and thinking using the frames of reference of mathematics as a discipline. Her interests also extend to research output that investigates issues in mathematics education from her perspective, which is not limited to teaching and learning. She was introduced to the ‘World Forum for Women in Science (WFWS) in February 2020, and she attended the 4th International Conference for Women in Science without Borders, 12-14 February 2020, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pro Maoto has presented 22 papers at conferences, three of which were international presentations and four as keynote speaker. Prof Maoto has been an Associate Editor for Pythagoras Journal since January 2020, and she has received the Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa (AMESA) Award in recognition of her contribution to AMESA Limpopo and the Mathematics Education Community in the Limpopo Province: Academic Coordinator: AMESA Congress 2015 and Research in Mathematics Education. She has contributed six (6) book chapters to a Mathematics series used by Grades 10, 11, and 12 (New Modern Graded Mathematics). Prof Maoto has supervised 30 research projects at the Honours level, eleven (11) Master’s and six (6) Doctoral students, and is currently supervising four (4) Master’s students.

Prof Sejabaledi Rankoana in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology is an established researcher who mentors junior staff members and emerging researchers across faculties. She has so far supervised eleven masters and is currently supervising three doctoral and two masters projects, all submitted for external assessment. Her research interest is indigenous health care. This broader area necessitated a multi-disciplinary approach in order to comprehend the nature and significance of health care at the community level, where everyone is familiar with cultural practices that have the potential to be therapeutic, preventive, and protective. As such, her research interests extend to community-level food and water security, hygiene, and the use of plant materials in curative and preventative primary care. These critical components of indigenous health care are climate-sensitive. She has published 51 research articles in the field of indigenous health care and peer-reviewed five book chapters. The chapters address important aspects of indigenous health care, such as food security, primary health care, and the use and conservation of medicinal plants. Prof Rankoana has also presented thirteen research articles at national and international conferences. She has participated in an anti-malarial project initiated by the South African Medical Council, where she was appointed the project leader, and has successfully designed the project proposal, collected and analysed data, and produced a report.

Prof Kgothatso Shai is the President of the South African Association of Political Science (SAAPS). His political interests have resulted in the publication of over 60 accredited journal articles in African Politics and International Relations. His efforts have also enabled him to direct an international collaboration on postgraduate supervision with Western Kentucky University (WSU). He was recently a Visiting Scholar at the University of The Gambia (UTG), where he co-authored research papers with fellow UTG students. Several DHET-recognised international journals are currently publishing such papers.He has also been involved in other projects related to his field of study. Prof Shai was elected to the national board of the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) in 2018, and he later became the organisation’s deputy president. He is currently the editor of the SAAPAM Book series, which he established in 2021. Prof Shai, who is 35 years old, has a lengthy resume for someone his age. He holds a master’s degree in political science, obtained cum laude from the University of Venda, as well as a doctorate in international politics from UL, both of which he obtained in 2010 and 2017. He has successfully supervised the graduation of two PhD students, six MA students, and 20 Honours students. He is currently supervising five PhD students. Prof Shai was previously named one of the country’s 200 Young South Africans by the Mail & Guardian and was recently designated as an NRF-Y2 rated researcher. His research is primarily concerned with African politics and international relations.

Prof Mahlapahlapana Themane is a Full Professor in the Department of Education Studies who serves as a researcher in the Faculty of Humanities Higher Degree Committee and the Department of Education Studies. Prof Themane, who is passionate about school as an enabling space, inclusive education, and curriculum theory, is also leading a research project with the Kagiso Trust. He was part of the VLIR Project on Multiple Literacies (2010–2021), and is currently involved in a short course in Inclusive Education (2018–2022) and the Schools as Enabling Spaces (2020–2023) project. He has contributed to 40 curriculum studies, and presented three papers on national and international platforms. He has supervised 21 Masters and 14 PhDs. During  2014 Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards, he won the Best Researcher award in the Faculty of Humanities.

Prof Sylvia Ramaligela’s research interests include the teaching of Technology Education subjects in high schools, the use of ICT in Teaching and Learning, the teaching of Vocational subjects in the TVET sector, and improving pre-service teachers’ teaching strategy in the 4IR era. She has 20 peer-reviewed journal articles in the fields of Technology Education and Vocational Education. Prof Ramaligela’s research accomplishments include the publication of two book chapters and the co-authorship of six research chapters. She developed five teacher education programmes: BED Senior Phase and Further Education and Training, Bachelor Education in Technical and Vocational Teaching, Advance Diploma in Technical and Vocational Teaching, Diploma Adult and Community Education and Training, and Advance Diploma in Adult and Community Education and Training (ACET). Her enthusiasm for her research has led to her presenting short and long paper papers both nationally and internationally in Singapore, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, Botswana, Mozambique, and South Africa. Prof Ramaligela has also reviewed over 30 articles for journal publication and conferences, as well as evaluated over eight master’s and doctoral studies. She has also written three classroom resource books for Technology and Vocational Education, as well as two training manuals used to train UNISA in-service teachers. She is currently working on a University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP) project funded by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to establish an Institutional Articulation Hub to strengthen the partnership between universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.

Prof Tholene Sodi’s primary research area is mental health, with a particular focus on mental health literacy, mental health policy, culture, and mental health. He also conducts research on clinical psychology, health behaviour, African psychology, and implementation science. He has successfully supervised seventy-four Masters and PhD students (Masters = 56; PhD = 18), and is currently supervising 21 Masters and PhD students (Masters = 8; PhD = 13). Prof Sodi has travelled across the globe and managed to establish collaborations nationally and internationally. This includes the European Commission-funded project under the auspices of Horizon 2020; the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences Catalytic Programme Grant; Sustainable Academic Capacity Building for Excellence through Research and Training (SACERT) Programme; Digital Delivery of Behavioural Activation to overcome depression and facilitate social and economic transitions of adolescents in South Africa (DoBAt), among others. He has published more than 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals, mostly in the fields of mental health and psychology, authored three book chapters, and presented more than 100 papers at both national and international conferences. He has in the past received the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) Award for mentoring and developing the careers/studies of students, psychologists or colleagues; the Vice-Chancellor’s First Place Award in the category “Best Established Researcher in the School of Social Sciences” in 2013 (University of Limpopo); and the Dean’s First Place Award in the category “Best Established Researcher in the Faculty of Humanities” (University of Limpopo) in 2013.

Professor Olawale Fatoki has supervised 22 master’s students and three doctoral students, and he currently supervises four master’s students and two doctoral students. His research interests are in the creation and growth of sustainable businesses, as well as the intersection of strategy and entrepreneurship with sustainability. Prof Fakoti has published 82 research articles, presented 10 papers at local conferences and four papers at international conferences, and co-authored one book chapter based on his research interests. He has also formed partnerships with both local and international researchers.  This includes, Professor Adewale Aregbeshola (University of South Africa) and Professor Michael Page (Emeritus professor, Portsmouth University and Professor Associate, Brunel University). In the past, UL has named him the Best Overall Established Researcher in the University in 2020. Prof Fatoki was involved in a project on small and medium enterprises and trade credit sponsored by the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants between 2013 and 2015.

Research Associate, Prof Mtende Mhango, promotes and supports research in the Department of Public and Environmental Law. He conducts research around pension law, which includes pension investment regulation, benefit administration, pension fund governance, and dispute resolution of pension complaints. He further looks into constitutional and dministrative law, which includes questions about separation of powers, law and religion, justiciability studies, and general questions about the exercise of public power by constitutional actors. He has established research collaborations with the University of Pretoria, University of Namibia, Wits University, University of Botswana, University of Eswatini, University of South Africa, Metropolitan Lesotho Limited, and Insurance Association. To date, he has co-authored two books, two book chapters, three book reviews, and has contributed 44 articles to accredited journals. Prof Mhango has in the past supervised 16 masters and is currently supervising one Doctor of Laws student at the University of South Africa and two Master of Laws students at the National University of Lesotho. His current research project includes a book titled Pension Law: A SADC Perspective. This book examines legislative developments and emerging jurisprudence in a number of SADC countries, including South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Eswatini, and Lesotho, and, where appropriate, engages in comparative analysis of these developments and jurisprudence.

Prof Christopher Baiyegunhi’s research interests include clastic sedimentology, stratigraphy, fossil fuels, diagenesis, sedimentary geochemistry, and their applications in reservoir characterisation and basin analysis. To name a few, he has received the NRF-Thuthuka Research Grant for three years (2022-2024), the South African National Energy Development Institution (SANEDI) External Capacity Building Grant for 2020-2021, and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) Hutchison Fund Travel award to attend the 36th IGC in 2020. He has 39 research articles published in the field of geosciences and has presented papers at seven international and several national conferences. Prof Baiyegunhi has previously formed national and international collaborations. The University of Johannesburg, the University of the Western Cape, the University of Fort Hare, and the University of Mpumalanga are among them. Northwest University China, Saint Petersburg Mining University Russia, UniversitiTeknologi Petronas Malaysia, University of Lagos Nigeria, and Midlands State University Zimbabwe are also involved. Prof Baiyegunhi is currently involved in the project: Analysis of rare earth elements (REEs) in coal and coal ash from coal-fired power stations in the Limpopo Province: Exploring a new resource for REEs. (2022 – to date).

Prof Salome Mahlo has supervised fifteen honours students (Botany), six Masters, and currently supervising two PhD students. She serves on the panel (National Research Foundation) to adjudicate Agricultural Science (Plant Science) research proposals. Prof Mahlo also serves as a reviewer, and has reviewed research articles/papers from various journals: Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, African Journal of Agricultural Research, Journal of Plant Science, International Journal of Education Science and South African Journal of Botany and African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Prof Mahlo served as a facilitator (chairperson) at the Young Scientist’s Conference (ASSAF) in Diep in Die Berg, Pretoria, in October 2014; and as an adjudicator during UL-FSA Research Day. She also partakes in various community engagement activities; including teaching Life Science subjects to learners at Diepsloot combined School in Gauteng (2011-2013). In 2014, she was invited to give a keynote address/motivational speech during Mandela day and Arbor Day to MP Mamabolo and Mamabudusha Secondary School. Her research area focuses on various medicinal plants utilised by the local people and traditional healers. She has presented over 40 papers at national and seven international conferences in Dubai, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and China, and further published fifteen (15) articles and 16 conference abstracts in international journals.

Prof Jannie Mare’s role in the Department of Water and Sanitation includes promoting research around mine water treatment. He has produced over 18 patents, 110 articles in scientific journals as a main and co-author, contributed to three book chapters, and presented research papers at over 150 conferences. He is interested in the development of new innovative processes that allow zero waste. This is achieved through the recovery of saleable products from the waste streams, such as pigment, which is imported. He has collaborated with Tshwane University of Technology, the University of Pretoria, and Magalies Water, ROC Water Technologies, on mine water treatment and product recovery. Through this collaboration and the support of THRIP (DTIC), WRC Innovation Hub, and post-graduate students at the University of Limpopo, Prof Maree has developed a series of technologies that allow the processing of liquid and solid wastes from the mining, power station, and fertiliser industries to recover water of drinking quality and saleable products. He is currently supervising two PhDs and four master’s students.

Dr Amin Saeidi is interested in finite groups and their characters, as well as the interplay between groups and combinatorial structures such as designs, codes and graphs. At the moment, he is working on the construction of designs and codes that are invariant under finite primitive groups. Dr Saeidi has published 14 papers in peer-reviewed journals and presented over 15 papers at local and international conferences in the last 15 years. He has also formed collaborations with researchers from Iran and South Africa. He is currently engaged on a project titled “Constructing designs invariant under finite groups” and has included her postgraduate students on the project. Dr Saeidi is supervising two master’s students and co-supervising one doctoral student.

Prof Jones Ng’ambi has presented more than 80 papers at national and international conferences, co-authored one book, and published 125 articles, mainly on animal nutrition and production. His research interest is in improving the productivity of livestock through better nutrition and efficient breeding. Additionally, Prof. Ng’ambi conducts research on reducing methane production and emissions by ruminant animals. He has collaborated with staff members from a number of universities in Belgium, including Ghent University, KU Leuven University, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) University, amongst others, through the VLIR-UOS programme (2010-2021). The programme has also allowed Prof. Ng’ambi to further collaborate with a number of staff members from African institutions, such as the University of Pretoria, the University of Zimbabwe, the University of Makerere, the University of Ghana, and Bunda University. Through the Resilience Africa Network Project, Prof Ng’ambi has also worked with colleagues at Maryland University in the USA, which was part of a collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Irene. He has supervised 76 MSc students and 12 PhDs and is currently supervising 3 MSc and 2 PhD students.

Associate Professor Sello Mokwena is a Lecturer and Research Supervisor in the Department of Computer Science. His research interests in artificial intelligence, sentiment analysis, and cybersecurity culminated in him being invited as the main conference speaker in Washington, DC for Artificial Intelligence. Thus far, Prof. Mokwena has collaborated with the Nelson Mandela University of Science and Technology in Tanzania and is in the process of establishing collaborations with the University of South Africa (UNISA) and Auckland University in Australia. He has supervised three masters students since 2019, of whom one has submitted for examination and two are finalising their documents for submission before June 2022. He is currently supervising two doctoral students, four masters and seven honours students. Prof Mokwena has published five papers in the areas of acceptance and use of technology.

Research Professor Peter Masoko, in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture, conducts research around the evaluation of the antibacterial, antifungal, antimycobacterial, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic effects of extracts and purified compounds derived from medicinal plants. His interests have further extended to in-vitro screening programmes, using the ethnobotanical (plant selection based on traditional use) approach, which he regards as important in validating the traditional use of herbal remedies and providing leads in the search for new active principles. He has presented 87 papers and 44 posters (co-authorship) and published 61 articles in the field of ethnopharmacology. His current research project includes targeting the shikimate pathway for antimycobacterial drug discovery using traditionally used medicinal plants and investigating potential roles played by MEP pathway [Fe-S] cluster enzymes in mycobacterial persister formation and drug tolerance. He has been awarded the “Best Overall Upcoming Researcher at the University of Limpopo” during the 2011 Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards and the “Best Established Researcher in the School of Molecular and Life Sciences” during the 2020 Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards. Prof Masoko has supervised two PhDs, 21 Masters, and 26 Honours students. He is currently supervising four PhDs, four Masters, and three Honours students.

Prof Luus-Powell’s multidisciplinary study is mainly concerned with the natural environment, with a particular emphasis on aquatic ecosystems and ecosystem services. Her research on the impact of pollution levels on the diversity of fish parasites and the health of aquatic organisms has been cited in over 150 articles globally. Prof Luus-Powell has published 84 papers, nine technical reports, and 34 abstracts in national and international journals on parasitology and aquatic ecosystem health. She is also a co-author of a book chapter on parasites and vectors in freshwater wetlands, which has recently been published. She has also presented 145 national and 66 international conference presentations, including three plenary lectures and one invited session at the University of Namibia.

Prof Susan Dippenaar conducts research on the taxonomy and systematics of symbiotic copepods of marine fish as well as the taxonomy and systematics of free-living freshwater copepods. She has produced 49 peer-reviewed papers in accredited journals, including presenting about 89 (including student presentations) presentations at national conferences and nine presentations at international conferences. She has received first prize in the category “Best Established Researcher” in the School of Molecular and Life Sciences during the 2015 Vice-Chancellor Excellence Awards and received Y2 NRF Rating, NRF Rating, 2005–2010; and C2 NRF Rating, 2011–2016. She has supervised 23 Honours students, 11 Masters, and one PhD and is currently supervising a masters student.

Dr Busisiwe Gunya enjoys conducting research on poultry nutrition, meat science, and production with a specific interest in digestive physiology, carcass quality, and the use of alternative protein sources in poultry diets. Senior Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Animal Production, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Her research work has had a clear impact on alternative, cheap, sources of protein (E. foetida) for chickens. According to Dr Gunya, the research has been valuable, especially for communal or rural farmers. Currently, Dr Gunya is working on the potential of citric acid as a growth promoter for Venda and Broiler chicken production. The project is currently financed by the incentives that she received from my rating from NRF (R50 000) and the University of Limpopo (R30 000). There are six masters students who are attached to this project. I have one collaboration for this project from ARC (Dr Ncobela N). From this project, she has published two review articles and two are under review.

To date, she has published 16 articles in internationally accredited and peer-reviewed journals and presented seven papers at national conferences. Her work has been cited 72 times. Her h-index is five, and her i10-index is two, according to Google Scholar. Dr Gunya has supervised and graduated 16 honours and one masters’ students. She is a full member of the South African Society for Animal Science and a candidate natural scientist in the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions. She has currently received a nomination to enrol in a short course on research ethics and integrity, an online short course (8 weeks) offered by Wits Digital Campus.

Prof Abraham Addo-Bediako’s interests are in ecology, ecotoxicology, entomology, climate change and environmental conservation. His current research focuses on the impacts of pollution and climate change on natural ecosystems and understanding patterns in the distribution and diversity of living organisms. Prof Addo-Bediako has presented 19 research papers at national conferences and 14 international conferences, and has published 44 research articles in accredited journals. He was involved in the project: The impact of water and sediment quality on the health of fish and the diversity of fish parasites in two impoundments of the Olifants River, Limpopo Province (2014-2019); Fish health and water quality in the Flag Boshielo Dam of the Olifants River (2009-2014); Assessing the impact of land-use on functions of the Limpopo and Olifants River Systems (2015-2019) and Investigation of large-scale drivers of seasonal fluctuation on water chemistry and toxicant levels in the Flag Boshielo System, the Olifants River (2018-2020). He is currently involved in the project:  Impact of water and sediment pollution on aquatic biota in the freshwater ecosystems in the Limpopo Province (2021->).

Dr Ashwell Ndhlala is a Senior Researcher, Bioeconomy Development Specialist in the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. He was a finalist during the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) 2021 under the categories: TW Kambule-NSTF Award: Researcher, and Special Annual Theme Award, and was recipient of the Green 1st prize winner for green innovation on the development of an instant water purification gadget using IKS based methods at the Gauteng Accelerator Programm (GAP).  Dr Ndhlala has also made collaborations throughout the world with universities such as  Harare Institute of Public Health, Harare, Zimbabwe, Biotechnology Centre, University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West Indies,  the International Consortium of Enzyme Inhibitors Research, India, South African Bureau of Standards, Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Department of Plant Science, University of Pretoria, School of Physiology, University of Johannesburg, School of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand.  He published over 90 research articles, co-authored 9 books and has presented over 35 papers in national and international conferences. His current research projects include Makonde Community Development Project-Using Indigenous Fruits to make Products (Funded by Department of Environmental Affairs DEA now DEFF) 2019-2023; Water purification using indigenous knowledge systems (Funded by Innovation Hub) 2018- 2023; and Technology Transfer Projects-Cosmeceuticals (Gwenge and Nganu Project) funded by Department of Science and Innovation-DSI (2018-2023) among other projects. He has supervised four PhD students, nine Masters, and four Honours students.  Currently, he is supervising six PhDs, nine Masters, and four Honours students.

Professor Hasani Chauke’s research interest concerns large scale computational modeling of metals and alloys, mineral beneficiation and energy storage materials using first-principles quantum mechanical density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) methods. He has supervised and co-supervised to completion eight PhDs, twelve (12) Masters and 30 Honours students, and is currently supervising four Honours, three master’s and four PhDs. Under his leadership as Deputy Director at the Materials Modelling Centre (MMC) (since 2013), and Director of the School of Physical and Mineral Sciences (2022) about twenty (20) student awards have been granted for Honours, MSc and PhD conference presentations in both local and international stages. Professor Chauke has published over 50 research papers in accredited journals and conference proceedings and has presented over 200 conference papers locally and about 20 internationally, and was recognised as the Royal Society-Newton Advanced Fellowship from 2015 to 2018. Professor Chauke also serves as a reviewer for National Research Foundation (NRF) funding and rated researchers, a reviewer for various journals including Platinum Metal Review article for Johnson Matthey Plc (JMTC), Materials Science and Engineering B, Journal of Alloys and Compound, MRS Advance, and AMI Nuclear Materials; and research thesis and dissertation.

Dr Iva Prikrylova is a Senior Researcher in the Department of Biodiversity and an Extraordinary Lecturer at North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. She conducts research around fish parasites and is a specialist in the taxonomy and molecular genetics of Monogenea (Platyhelminthes) with an emphasis on the family Gyrodactylidae. She is currently working under the DSI-NRF SARChI Chair (Ecosystem Health), and was a holder of post-doctoral grant from the Czech Science Foundation (2010–2012). Dr. Prikrylova has given 92 conference presentations, 63 of which were international and 29 of which were national. She is a co-author of one book chapter in “A Guide to the Parasites of African Freshwater Fishes” and 27 papers, all in the field of fish parasitology, and has established collaboration with colleagues at the University of Hasselt, Belgium, and North-West University, Potchefstroom. She has supervised one PhD, five masters, and six honours students and is currently supervising two masters and one honours student.

Prof Daniel Maposa has been serving on the National Research Foundation (NRF) grant review panel for Mathematics and ICT, Physics and Astronomy since 2021. He received a World Bank Capacity Building Trust Fund (WBCBTF) grant to attend the ISI World Statistics Conference (2019) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and a UCDP grant to attend the 37th Southern African Mathematical Sciences Association (SAMSA) Conference in Palapye, Botswana (2018). Professor Maposa has given 15 national conference presentations and 11 international conference presentations, as well as published 33 journal articles and three conference proceedings. Prof Maposa has also co-authored two book chapters. His research interests include Extreme Value Theory (EVT) statistics as well as time series analysis. He is the co-founder and Vice-Chairperson of the EVT special interest group, which was formed in 2021 under the auspices of the Statistical Association of South Africa (SASA).

Senior Professor of Nematology, Phatu Mashela has presented over 500 papers domestically and internationally, contributed to over 20 book chapters, and published over 300 research articles. His research interests include plant protection and product development in relation to agricultural inputs. Having served on the Agricultural Research Council Board, Prof Mashela has supervised a number of 200 postgraduate students, and is currently supervising 20 postgraduate students. His research collaborations on an international and national front have made it possible for him to be part of the VLIR in Belgium, the Agricultural Research Council, ZZ2, and work with colleagues at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and University of Fort Hare.

Prof Kotsedi Monyeki is a member of the non-governmental organisation “CHILDHOOD HYPERTENSION CONSORTIUM OF SOUTH AFRICA (CHCSA)” and a member of the European Commission-funded SPICES team. His research interests include epidemiology and cardiovascular disease, public health, physical activity, human growth, sports science and physical education, and longitudinal studies. Prof Monyeki is the Principal Investigator of the Ellisras Longitudinal Study, an initiative of national and international collaboration that is benefiting University of Limpopo students in research, amongst others. Externally, Prof Monyeki marks PhD and Masters Dissertations, and peer reviews articles from various national and international high-impact factor journals and applies for funding from the National Research Foundation, Medical Research Council, and other related bodies and institutions. He has collaborated with national and international researchers such as Dr Geofrey Musinguzi of the Department of Primary and Interdisciplinary Care at the University of Antwerp in Belgium and the Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health at Makerere University in Uganda’s School of Public Health. He honed his research skills by receiving several research grants that allowed him to travel the globe. Such grants include the Ellisras Longitudinal Growth and Health Study at the then University of the North (now UL) from 1996 to 2003. Also, a Medical Research Council staff credentialing staff scholarship that allowed him to visit Prof Han Kemper and his team at the Amsterdam Longitudinal Growth and Health Study in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from 1998 to 2000; and a grant from the International Council of Science.

Prof Mthulisi Velempini has supervised 45 honours, 13 Masters and two doctorate students to completion.  He has also supervised 10 mini masters’ dissertations to completion. At the moment, he is supervising five honours, six Masters, and three Doctorate students. He is also co-supervising 10 honours students and has one postdoctoral student. To date, he has been awarded four research grants. He was also awarded the best research award in the School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences in 2020 and the best researcher in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture in 2019. In 2020, he was elevated to the grade of Senior Grade Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Locally, Prof. Velempini collaborated with researchers at North West University, University of Cape Town, University of Mpumalanga (UMP), State Information Technology Agency (SITA), SENTECH LTD, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and ZADNA. Internationally, he is collaborating with the University of Dschang in Cameroon and the University of Picardie-Jules Verne in France. He has authored or co-authored 11 book chapters, of which nine of them have been published and two are in press. Pro Velempini has presented 60 papers at local and international conferences and published 13 articles. In 2021, Prof Velempini embarked on a collaborative project with UMP which explores quality of service and security issues in 5G enabling technologies. He is currently involved in a project that investigates the quality of service and security issues in namespace systems and the Internet. The project is currently being launched.