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ANNUAL RESEARCH REPORT
ANNUAL RESEARCH REPORT
At their meeting on 20 November 2015, the NWU Council approved a new strategy for the NWU for the next 10 years.
To transform and position the NWU as a unitary institution of superior academic excellence, with a commitment to social justice.
To be an internationally recognised university in Africa, distinguished for engaged scholarship, social responsiveness and an ethic of care.
To excel in innovative learning and teaching and cutting-edge research, thereby benefiting society through knowledge.
To be dynamic, values-driven and excellent.
We will foster engaged and caring staff and students and embed the following foundational values, based on the constitutional values of human dignity, equality and freedom:
Z ethics in all our endeavours
Z academic integrity
Z academic freedom and freedom of scientific research
Z responsibility, accountability, fairness and transparency
Z embracing diversity.
2 Message from the vice-chancellor
3 Message from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Technology
5 Messages from the campuses
10 NRF-rated researchers at the NWU
14 PhD students delivered in 2015
22 NWU research excellence award scheme
24 Research entities
26 Z Research centres of excellence
32 Z Research units
54 Z Research focus areas
80 Z Research niche areas
94 Other entities focusing on research
102 Contact information
During the first 10 years of its existence, the North-West University made great strides in becoming a balanced teaching-learning and research university.
Our focus is now to take the university to another level. This is encapsulated in our new strategy statement:
To transform and position the NWU as a unitary institution of superior academic excellence, with a commitment to social justice.
In view of this, we have the following dream for the period 2015 to 2025: “To be an internationally recognised university in Africa, distinguished for engaged scholarship, social responsiveness and an ethic of care.”
We have furthermore set as our goal to excel in cutting-edge research, thereby benefiting society through knowledge. Our objective is to develop a notable international profile and impact, ranked in the top five in South Africa and in the top 500 globally.
With regards to our market direction, we have taken some pertinent decisions. One is to increase research and innovation intensity while simultaneously investing in
innovative teaching and learning practices. This will direct the NWU from a balanced teaching-learning and research university towards an innovation and creativity-led university in all its core functions of research, teaching and learning, with an increased postgraduate market focus.
From the above you can deduct that we are setting high goals for the North-West University. When we look back on our research activities in 2015 we do so with a view to the future. We acknowledge that our upward trend in article outputs was arrested momentarily, but we are still in an upward trend.
What is more important is our focus on the objectives set out in our new strategy and briefly mentioned above. Our uncompromising focus on quality and impact should inform what we do in future. The following reports indicate that this is indeed the direction we have embraced.
PROF DAN KGWADIVice-Chancellor
Message from the
Prof Dan Kgwadi
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Prof Frikkie van Niekerk
Message from the
RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Since 2004, the NWU’s research and innovation mission has been to develop and maintain high-quality, relevant and focused research, aligned with
national priorities, supplying innovative solutions to challenges faced by the scholarly community, the country, the continent and the world. The university has also strived to establish itself as a balanced teaching-learning and research university.
Our efforts to realise this mission and reach these goals culminated in 2015 being an outstanding year for research at the NWU. The university achieved record research outputs in all the following: research article equivalents, books, research master’s degrees, doctoral degrees and total weighted research output.
In 2015 we also had a record number of NRF-rated researchers, as well as the highest ever number of postdoctoral fellows. In addition, we received the largest total NRF grant ever during 2015 for freestanding bursaries, block grant bursaries, postdoctoral awards, research chairs, research grants and THRIP.
The Technology Transfer and Innovation Support (TTIS) office was instrumental in achieving the highest success rate with funding proposals in 2015, including DST funding for strategic high-end infrastructure and strategic projects, TIA seed funds, THRIP funding and NIPMO funding. The TTIS office established a record number of new innovation projects.
The TTIS’s contribution to the NWU’s research and commercialisation value chain capacity development (both in terms of research product outputs and human capital development) was approximately R80,6 million. The preparatory work was done for the creation of Innovation Highway Enterprises, a holding company to oversee our commercial activities and to optimise our IP investments.
Significant international agreements were developed during 2015, including collaborative research projects and an increasing number of joint degrees with prestigious universities. The NWU is still listed by QS as a member of the 701+ group, which makes it part of the approximately top 3% of more than 20 000 universities world-wide.
Community Engagement (CE) continued to establish and affirm the NWU’s activities in communities. A database was developed for capturing and monitoring projects and our community engagement flagship projects continued to thrive; the Mosaic project launched a similar project in the Western Cape, upon invitation.
During 2015 the IT department spearheaded a more concerted strategy around e-research, a term used for intensive and specialised use of IT in research projects. Several initiatives were launched to support the NWU research ideals and objectives. IT@NWU is a founding member of both the African Research Cloud and the Institute of Data Intensive Astronomy.
In tandem with these accomplishments, the NWU also developed a new strategy statement: To transform and position the NWU as a unitary institution of superior academic excellence, with a commitment to social justice. Over the next 10 years, the NWU will strive to be an internationally recognised university in Africa, distinguished for engaged scholarship, social responsiveness and an ethic of care.
Early on in the strategic planning and restructuring process, the NWU research community eagerly adopted this new strategy statement and dream, and developed a set of success factors and objectives for research, innovation, community engagement, global impact and e-research.
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Prof Lucas VenterDirector: Research Support
Ms Bibi BouwmanDirector: Community Engagement
Prof Deon de Beer Chief Director: Technology Transfer
and Innovation Support
Mr Boeta PretoriusChief Director:
Information Technology
Prof Nicholas AllenDirector: International Liaison
Our goals now focus on excelling in cutting-edge research to benefit society through knowledge, to continue to integrate an international dimension into the purpose, functions and delivery of tertiary education and to position the NWU as a university of consequence, recognised for its excellence in chosen areas of specialisation. We strive to develop a significant international profile and impact, ranked in the top five in South Africa and in the top 500 globally.
The year 2015 was part of the prelude to this ambitious dream which, in many respects, was a watershed year for
the NWU. It is no small feat that, during this ambitious strategic planning process, the university excelled by producing its highest research and innovation output to date, as is evident from the results presented in this report. It is indeed something to be proud of.
PROF FRIK VAN NIEKERKDeputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Technology
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Message from the
Prof Mashudu Davhana-MaseleseleRECTOR
The Mafikeng Campus has continued to be a consistent contributor to research output at the North-West University. This overview of the campus’s
research activities bears testimony to the hard work of academics in the various faculties.
The 2010 to 2015 research outputs showed considerable improvement in publications on the Mafikeng Campus. More significant is that 90% of the articles published are in international journals with wide readership in the ISI database.
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Year2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Research outputs from 2010-2015
Accredited journalsConference proceedingsBooks/chaptersTotal
Worthy of mention and commendation is the fact that support staff also contribute to the research output of the Mafikeng Campus. Our output decreased slightly in 2014 after we decided to concentrate on publications in high-impact factor journals or journals which have wide readership with emphasis on multi disciplinary research and collaboration, but in 2015 our output went up again.
The number of postdoctoral fellows on campus has been on the increase since 2010, rising from four in that year to 52 in 2015, and they contributed significantly to our research outputs. We are grateful to the Institutional Research Support Commission, the National Research
Foundation (NRF) and other funding agencies that supported and provided funding for our postdoctoral fellows and researchers. The number of NRF-rated researchers grew to 23 in 2015 from four in 2010.
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PROF ENO EBENSOActing Vice-Rector: Research and Planning
+27 (0)18 389 [email protected]
Our graduation figures for master’s and doctoral students have been on the increase since 2010 but with a slight decrease in our master’s graduation figure in 2015, which is compensated for by the increase in our doctoral students graduation in 2015 (39 compared to 10 in 2010). In 2015, nine staff members on the Mafikeng Campus obtained their doctoral degrees.
In the previous year, the campus had four research entities, namely the Population and Health focus area, Food Security and Safety in the North West Province (niche area), Material Science Innovation and Modelling (focus area) and the Lifestyle Diseases niche area. As testimony to our growing research activities, the Indigenous Language in the Media (ILMA) and Global Innovative Forefront Talent (GIFT) entities were approved in 2015.
The campus still prides itself on its focus on rural development and poverty alleviation, which includes National Development Plan initiatives through a number of collaboration projects to increase the number of PhD holders in scarce skills areas.
The campus strives to address the needs of the country and the region, and has established several partnerships with government departments, industry and local and international universities to live up to being a major contributor to knowledge generation and skills development. One of the most important partnerships is the one with Mintek and other organisations.
We commend all our postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and our academic, research and support staff in all faculties for contributing to the research footprint of
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the Mafikeng Campus. The campus has done extremely well and we intend to grow steadily. Our focus in the coming years is to improve on the quality and quantity of our research outputs by publishing in high-impact factor/top ISI journals and attracting more funding for our ever-growing research activities.
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total
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Message from the
Prof Fika Janse van RensburgACTING RECTOR
Introduction 2015 was another year in which the Potchefstroom Campus moved closer to the goal of becoming a research-focused campus. Dedicated and purpose-driven staff ensured that research outputs on campus kept growing and productivity remained on an upward trend.
Research career development, impact, growing the number of international publications, increasing the number of NRF-rated scholars, establishing new research chairs, improving the throughput of master’s and doctoral students, recruiting international postgraduate students, and maintaining networks with national and international experts, remained at the top of the campus’s list of priorities.
Research outputs and NRF ratings The number of doctorates completed on the campus was the highest in history and showed an increase of 18,1% since 2014. Research outputs in the form of subsidised journal articles, subsidised conference presentations, and subsidised contributions in books, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees, ensured that the total number of research output units was 10,8% higher than in 2014.
An additional 13 staff members successfully applied for NRF rating, along with those whose reapplications were approved. The number of NRF-rated researchers thus reached a record high of 146.
International profileThe campus’s other focus, internationalisation, also showed good progress in terms of staff, students and networks thanks to collaborations, exchange students and staff, and extraordinary appointments from universities abroad.
Some achievements are mentioned below to illustrate the international profile:
The NWU solar car is the first African solar car ever to complete the 3 000km World Solar Challenge in Australia. Our solar car finished in front of universities such as MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Cambridge University.
The Centre of Excellence for Nutrition is taking the lead internationally by applying the centre’s expertise to help address the shocking statistic of 3,1 million children below the age of five years worldwide who annually die of malnutrition.
In 2015 Prof Hans de Ridder was elected the first secretary general of the BRICS Council of Exercise and Sport Science (BRICSCESS) for the next four years, and the institution’s next conference will be held on the Potchefstroom Campus in 2017.
The new research focus area for Human Metabolomics was named the NWU entity with the most new inventions – a total of four, one of which is an international patent in the process of final confirmation. The Faculty of Natural Sciences is known for their expertise and noteworthy
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environmental research, proof of which is an award of R7,5 million from the NRF towards funding a research aquarium. This will enable the NWU to establish the best facility in Africa and compete equally with the best in the world. This recognition was earned because of strong international connections and networks in the field.
The Faculty of Law is collaborating with five European universities on a joint doctoral project in Law and Development (Edolad). They are Tilburg University in the Netherlands, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, the University of Oslo in Norway, the University of Tartu in Estonia and the University of Deusto in Spain.
The initiative reached an important milestone in 2015 when the first research methodology workshop was held at Tilburg University.
In the research programmes at the Faculty of Theology, 57% of master’s and doctoral students are international students from the Americas, the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The research unit, Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society (TREES), of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences is leading a collaboration with a number of foreign universities for the international research project, “Green Bubbles”.
In 2015 the campus had more than 100 postdoctoral fellows from 47 different countries. We also received many international visitors and presented various international conferences.
ConclusionWe want to thank our colleagues on the Potchefstroom Campus for their continued dedication and excellent work and focus on research despite the additional demands made by the restructuring process. Besides the highlights presented in this report, we would also like to mention all the researchers who received awards in 2015.
This report bears testimony to dedicated researchers and the continuing increase in research on the campus.
PROF SUSAN VISSERActing Vice-Rector: Research and Planning
+27 (0)18 299 2606 [email protected]
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Message from the
Prof Linda du PlessisACTING RECTOR
During 2015 the Vaal Triangle Campus made notable progress in establishing itself as a balanced teaching-learning and research campus.
One of the key strategies to achieve this was to create a climate and space in which researchers could flourish in conducting their research, and to make sufficient resources available to provide for research needs wherever possible.
In the execution of Objective 2 of the Institutional Plan of the NWU, Intensifying research, the strategic research priorities contained in the campus plan were, among others, increasing the number of academics who produce research outputs by means of capacity building and mentorships; increasing the publication units per FTE staff member and improving the throughput of master’s and doctoral students.
These priorities also include increasing the number of NRF-rated staff members, extraordinary professors and postdoctoral students, and improving internationalisation by, for instance, entering into research collaborations with highly ranked and respected international universities.
Some of the 2015 highlights that relate to these strategic objectives included the following:
Z The campus’s research outputs (accredited articles, conference proceedings and chapters in academic books) increased from 111 in 2014 to an estimated 132 in 2015.
Z The number of academic staff who produced research outputs increased from 86 in 2014 to 94 in 2015.
Z For the 2015 academic year, 53 master’s and 32 doctoral degrees were conferred, compared to 35 and 15 respectively in 2014.
Z The campus had 11 NRF-rated researchers in 2014. In 2015 Prof Elda de Waal received a C3rating, bringing the total for 2015 to 12. Prof Susan Coetzee-Van Rooy’s rating improved to C1, Prof Jaco Gericke’s to a C2 and Prof Etienne Barnard’s to a B2.
Z Nine extraordinary professors were affiliated with the Optentia research focus area in 2015, and eight with the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Information Technology, bringing the total for the campus to 17.
Z In 2014 the campus had eight postdoctoral fellows compared to 11 in 2015.
Z Collaboration agreements for the offering of shared master’s and doctoral degrees were concluded with the Catholic University Leuven in Belgium, the University of Turku in Finland, and the Macquarie
University in Australia. Prof Kenneth Holmqvist of Lund, Sweden, visited the UPSET research focus area to provide training in eye-tracking research.
A total of 18 international experts visited Optentia during 2015 to present workshops, prepare funding applications and collaborate in research projects. In turn, Optentia participants undertook 10 international visits. Notably, networks with universities in Namibia, Zambia, Kenya, and Nigeria were initiated.
In an extraordinary achievement, Prof Ian Rothmann was awarded a fellowship by the Society of Industrial and Organisational Psychology in South Africa. Only five such fellowships have been awarded in the history of the society.
The campus is also very proud of Caroline Piotrowska who won the Vice-Chancellor’s Medal for her MA degree (supervisor Prof Bertus van Rooy). She is the fourth student in UPSET in six years to win this medal for the best MA within the NWU.
In conclusion, our research focus in the years to come will be to continually improve the quality and quantity of our research outputs, and to obtain more funding for our ever-growing research activities. The consistent contribution of the Vaal Triangle Campus to the research activities of the North-West University would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of our researchers and administrative and support staff. We would like to extend a sincere word of thanks and appreciation to every one of these colleagues.
PROF TINIE THERON Acting Vice-Rector: Academic, Quality and Planning
+27 (0)16 910 [email protected]
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A rating: Leading international researchers
Prof RK Haynes Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof H Moraal Centre for Space Research
Prof MS Potgieter Centre for Space Research
B rating: Internationally recognised researchers
Dr AV Avdeenkov Faculty of Engineering
Prof E Barnard Multilingual Speech Technologies (MuST)
Prof MB Boettcher Centre for Space Research
Prof RA Burger Centre for Space Research
Prof LM du Plessis Development in the South African Constitutional State
Prof JS Gouws Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context
Prof BH Harvey Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof LE Labuschagne Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics
Prof F Lombard Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics
Prof J Moori Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Prof JJ Pienaar Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof SJ Piketh Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof JWH Swanepoel Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics
Prof EA Ueckermann Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof J van den Berg Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof DJ van der Walt Centre for Space Research
Prof AA van Dijk Centre for Human Metabolomics
Prof HF van Rooy Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society
Prof AJ van Rooy Understanding and Processing Language in Complex Settings (UPSET)
Prof F Venter Development in the South African Constitutional State
Prof HH Vorster Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN)
C rating: Established researchers
Prof JS Allison Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics
Prof AY Amoateng Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
Prof OO Babalola Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Prof RJ Balfour Faculty of Education Sciences
Dr S Barnard Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof JJ Bergh Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Dr DG Bessarabov Faculty of Engineering
Dr JP Beukes Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof AS Blignaut Faculty of Economic Sciences and Information Technology
Prof H Bouwman Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof CB Brink Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof JR Bunt Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Prof PW Buys WorkWell: Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences
Prof WAM Carstens Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context
Prof SS Cilliers Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof AS Coetzee-van Rooy
Understanding and Processing Language in Complex Settings (UPSET)
Prof DJ de Beer Chief Director: Technology Transfer and Innovation Support
Prof JJJ de Beer Faculty of Education Sciences
Prof JH de Ridder Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation (PhASRec)
Prof E de Waal Faculty of Humanities
Prof FW de Wet Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society
Dr JE Drewes Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof JA du Pisani Social Transformation
Prof J du Plessis Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof W du Plessis Development in the South African Constitutional State
Prof Y du Plessis Faculty of Commerce and Administration
Prof HJG du Plooy Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context
Prof LH du Preez Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof JL du Preez Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof CG du Toit Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Prof E Ebenso Material Science Innovation and Modelling (MaSIM)
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Mafikeng Campus
Potchefstroom Campus
Vaal Triangle Campus
Institutional Office
Prof JH Eita Faculty of Commerce and Administration
Prof RC Everson Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Prof SES Ferreira Centre for Space Research
Prof JH Fourie Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics
Prof H Fourie Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof JD Froneman Social Transformation
Prof JW Gericke Faculty of Humanities
Prof M Greeff Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR)
Prof SF Greyling Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context
Prof JH Hamman Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof J Heystek Faculty of Education Sciences
Prof HM Huisman Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics
Prof HW Huisman Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART)
Prof ES Idemudia Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
Prof JC Jerling Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN)
Prof CS Jonker WorkWell: Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences
Prof PJ Jordaan Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society
Prof K Kellner Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof CM Khalique Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Prof HP Koornhof Musical Arts in South Africa: Resources and Applications (MASARA)
Prof AF Kotze Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof HM Krieg Chemical Resource Beneficiation
Prof HS Kruger Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR)
Prof GHJ Kruger Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof A Kruger Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR)
Prof HA Kruger Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics
Prof W Liebenberg Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof DT Loots Centre for Human Metabolomics
Dr SI Loubser Centre for Space Research
Prof MS Lubbe Medicine Usage in South Africa
Prof MS Maboeta Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof L Malan Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART)
Prof AH Manson Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
Prof LP Maré Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society
Prof SA Materechera Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Prof BK Mbenga Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
Prof NCT Meihuizen Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context
Prof E Mentz Self-Directed Learning
Prof PJ Milne Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof V Mlambo Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Prof MA Monyeki Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation (PhASRec)
Prof K Mostert WorkWell: Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences
Prof C Munyati Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Prof A Nel Faculty of Humanities
Prof HWJP Neomagus Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Prof TL Ngwenya Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
Prof BJ Odendaal Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context
Prof AB Oduaran Faculty of Education and Training
Dr O Olela-Otafudu Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Prof DW Oliver Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof OJ Olowu Faculty of Law
Prof IJ Oosthuizen Faculty of Education and Training
Prof ME Palamuleni Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
Prof DJ Petzer WorkWell: Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences
Prof JP Petzer Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof GJ Pienaar Development in the South African Constitutional State
Prof J Pienaar WorkWell: Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences
Prof AE Pienaar Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation (PhASRec)
Prof M Pieters Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN)
Prof C Rautenbach Development in the South African Constitutional State
Prof FP Retief Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof JA Robinson Development in the South African Constitutional State
Prof V Roos Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR)
Prof JP Rossouw Edu-HRight Research Unit
Prof S Rothmann Enabling optimal expression of individual, social and institutional potential (OPTENTIA)
Prof PG Rousseau Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Prof CD Roux Edu-HRight Research Unit
Prof M Saayman Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society (TREES)
Prof A Saayman Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society (TREES)
Prof AS Salawu Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
Prof AE Schutte Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART)
Prof R Schutte Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART)
Prof SJ Siebert Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof NJ Smit Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof N Smit Development in the South African Constitutional State
Prof CM Smuts Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN)
Prof FA Spanier Centre for Space Research
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Prof L Stewart Development in the South African Constitutional State
Prof DFM Strauss Social Transformation
Prof CA Strydom Chemical Resource Beneficiation
Prof H Strydom Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR)
Prof JE Terblanche Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context
Dr G Terre’blanche Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof PD Theron Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof LC Theron Enabling optimal expression of individual, social and institutional potential (OPTENTIA)
Prof SP van der Merwe
WorkWell: Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences
Prof P van der Merwe Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society (TREES)
Prof G van der Waldt Social Transformation
Prof JL van der Walt Faculty of Education Sciences
Prof FH van der Westhuizen Centre for Human Metabolomics
Prof HJM van Deventer Faculty of Humanities
Prof L van Dyk Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Prof GB van Huyssteen
Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context
Prof D van Niekerk African Centre for Disaster Studies
Prof JM van Rooyen Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART)
Prof PL van Schalkwyk
Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context
Prof G van Schoor Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Prof HM Viljoen Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context
Prof FP Viljoen Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society
Prof W Viviers Trade and Development (TRADE)
Prof N Vorster Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society
Prof JM Vorster Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society
Prof HCM Vosloo Chemical Resource Beneficiation
Prof FB Waanders Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Prof C Weldon Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof V Wepener Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof ML Weyers Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR)
Prof F Winde Faculty of Humanities
Prof MP Wissing Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR)
Prof DP Wissing Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context
Prof CC Wolhuter Faculty of Education Sciences
Prof LA Wood Faculty of Education Sciences
Prof CB Zulu Faculty of Education and Training
L rating: Late entrants to research
Prof J Surujlal Faculty of Economic Sciences and Information Technology
P rating: President’s award
Prof LJ Kotze Development in the South African Constitutional State
Prof C Venter Centre for Space Research
Y rating: Promising young researchers
Dr AAA Agbor Faculty of Law
Dr ME Aucamp Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Dr J Baumgartner Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN)
Dr EJ Cilliers Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Dr S Claassens Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof MH Davel Multilingual Speech Technologies (MuST)
Prof AA du Plessis Development in the South African Constitutional State
Prof JL du Plessis Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Dr LH du Plessis Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof P du Preez Edu-HRight Research Unit
Dr E Fosso Kankeu Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Prof R Gouws Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Dr L Havemann-Nel Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN)
Prof IP Khumalo Enabling optimal expression of individual, social and institutional potential (OPTENTIA)
Dr S Knobloch-Coetzee Quality in Nursing and Midwifery (INSINQ)
Prof WF Krugell Trade and Development (TRADE)
Prof M Kruger Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society (TREES)
Dr H Kruger Understanding and Processing Language in Complex Settings (UPSET)
Prof M Le Roux Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Dr LJ Legoabe Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof M Matthee WorkWell: Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences
Prof A Mawire Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Dr CMC Mels Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART)
Prof SL Middelberg WorkWell: Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences
Dr LR Motadi Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Prof DD N’Da Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Dr JA Nel WorkWell: Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences
Prof VM Ngole Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Dr C Nienaber-Rousseau Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN)
Prof SC Oukouomi Noutchie Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Dr A Petzer Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof IM Schoeman Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics
Prof N Stieger Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Dr JC Taylor Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof S ter Horst Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics
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Prof MMO Thekisoe Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Prof KR Uren Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Prof M van der Merwe
Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR)
New and re-rated researchersB rating: Internationally recognised researchers
Prof E Barnard Multilingual Speech Technologies (MuST)
Prof JS Gouws Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context
Prof J Moori Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Prof JJ Pienaar Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof EA Ueckermann Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
C rating: Established researchers
Prof JS Allison Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics
Prof AY Amoateng Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
Prof RJ Balfour Faculty of Education Sciences
Prof CB Brink Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof AS Coetzee-van Rooy
Understanding and Processing Language in Complex Settings (UPSET)
Prof E de Waal Faculty of Humanities
Dr JE Drewes Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof Y du Plessis Faculty of Commerce and Administration
Prof JW Gericke Faculty of Humanities
Prof JH Hamman Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof HA Kruger Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics
Dr SI Loubser Centre for Space Research
Prof LP Maré Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society
Dr O Olela-Otafudu Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology
Prof DW Oliver Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Prof AE Pienaar Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation (PhASRec)
Prof C Rautenbach Development in the South African Constitutional State
Prof FP Retief Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof V Roos Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR)
Prof R Schutte Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART)
Prof SJ Siebert Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof NJ Smit Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof N Smit Development in the South African Constitutional State
Prof P van der Merwe Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society (TREES)
Prof L van Dyk Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Prof JM Vorster Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society
Prof HCM Vosloo Chemical Resource Beneficiation
Prof FB Waanders Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Prof C Weldon Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management
Prof CC Wolhuter Faculty of Education Sciences
Prof CB Zulu Faculty of Education and Training
Y rating: Promising young researchers
Dr ME Aucamp Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen)
Dr J Baumgartner Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN)
Dr S Knobloch-Coetzee Quality in Nursing and Midwifery (INSINQ)
Prof M le Roux Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Dr CMC Mels Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART)
Prof SL Middelberg WorkWell: Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences
Dr C Nienaber-Rousseau Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN)
Prof KR Uren Unit for Energy and Technology Systems
Mafikeng Campus
Potchefstroom Campus
Vaal Triangle Campus
Institutional Office
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MAFIKENG CAMPUSStudent Title Promoter Co-promoter Assistant promoter
Adegboye, Mobolaji Felicia
Phylogenetic screening for possible novel antibiotic producing actinomycetes from Ngaka Modiri Molema district in North Wes Province
Prof OO Babalola
Adem, Hkadijo Rashid Lie group analysis of nonlineat PDE in multiple space dimensions Prof CM Khalique
Barnard, IlzePsychometric profile of personality traits, self-regulation and substance abuse tendencies of adolescents in Gauteng, South Africa
Prof ES Idemudia
Bereda, Julia Elisa
A model to facilitate the integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the management of HIV&AIDS within Primary Helath Care context in Limpopo Province, South Africa
Prof M Davhana-Maselesele
Beukes, Jacques Customer service expectations from South African alcoholic beverage suppliers in urban and rural areas Prof JJ Prinsloo
Chatukuta, PatienceRecombinant expression and functional characterisation of a putative clathrin assembly protein from Arabidopsis thaliana
Prof O Ruzvidzo
Direko, Kathleen Khomotso
Model of collaboration between Nursing Education Institutions in the North West Province, South Africa
Prof Mashudu Davhana-Maselesele
Dzinavatonga, Kaitano Spectroscopic analysis of historical documents Prof TR Medupe Dr LC Prinsloo
Gutta, Shreen Causal attributions of success and failure by Grade 10-12 Science learners Prof T Mamiala
Howard, Grant Royd Explicating the enabling capabilities of Green IS: Management Framework for South African Banks Prof S Lubbe
Kabir, HumayunA comparative analysis of corporate social responsibilities in strategic planning of South African and Australian companies
Prof J Mukuddem-Petersen
Kawadza, Tonderayi DavidMolecular characterisation and elucidation of the physiological roles of a novel maternal effect embryo arrest protein
Prof O Ruzvidzo
Langwa, Charles Cohabitation and its implications on marital stability and first birth: A case of Central Region Uganda Prof I Kalule-Sabiti
Lefenya, Kesolofetse OliviaThe accountability of and for United Nations Peacekeepers: a study of the theory, norms and practice
Prof OJ Olowu
Letsoalo, Simon SebatanaDeterminants of collective actions among farmers in Dzindi communal irrigation scheme, Limpopo Province, South Africa
Prof OI Oladele
Maepa, Mokoena Petronella
Psychosocial challenges and efficacy of social skills for children living in the street in Limpopo Prof ES Idemudia
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MAFIKENG CAMPUSStudent Title Promoter Co-promoter Assistant promoter
Magalakwe, Gabriel On the symmetry analysis of some wave-type nonlinear partial differential equations Prof M Khalique
Mah, GiseleSovereign debt and fiscal consolidation in the United States of America and Greece: A comparative econometric approach
Dr IP Mongale
Makhado, LufunoLevel of adherence to treatment guidelines for NIMART among Tuberculosis and HIV patients: A conceptual model
Prof M Davhana-Maselesele
Maripe, Kgosietsile Community resilience to disasters in Botswana Dr BMP Setlalentoa
Masilo, Gaboipolelwe Margaret
Guidelines for support to mothers of sexually abused children in North West Province
Prof Mashudu Davhana-Maselesele
Matamela, Nyambeni Asnath
Psychosocial factors influencing adolescent para-suicidal behaviour in Limpopo Province, South Africa Prof ES Idemudia
Modirwa, Madikapi SinahAnalysis of stakeholders’ collaboration in agricultural innovation systems in the North West Province, South Africa
Prof OI Oladele
Molefi, Molefakgotla Alex A structured model of talent management for nurses in the North West province hospital Prof EN Barkhuizen
Mpundu, Mubanga Basel 111 and asset securitisationProf MA Pietersen, Prof J Mukuddem-Petersen
Dr IP Mongale
Mudau, Ntavheleni Virginia
A process mapping appraisal of municipal waste management system compliance in Limpopo Province, South Africa
Prof TM Ruhiiga
Ndimurwimo, Leah Alexis Human rights violations in Burundi: a case study of post-conflict reconciliation and transnational justice Prof MLM Mbao
Ngwenya, BonganiInvestigation into organisational performance using strategic planning and resources: A study of listed companies in Zimbabwe
Prof S Lubbe
Oduaran, Overay Bovadjera
A framework to link strategic human resource management leadership dimension and public service performance in the North West Province
Prof S Swanepoel
Ohwovoriole, Benjamin Cyril Oghenekaro
Social semiotics in African films and its effects on international relations Prof V Ojakorokun Prof D Garside
Pullanikkatil, Deepa Mapping of provisioning ecosystems services in Likangala River catchment, Zomba, Southern Malawi Prof LG Palamuleni Prof TM Ruhiiga
Ramoutar-Prieschl, Rakeshnie
A framework for the organisational effectiveness of funding agencies in the science sector Prof PD Gerber
Righi, Katherine Claire Emosioreme
Media reportage of civil unrest in Nigeria and its impact on the state’s foreign policy Prof V Ojakorokun Prof D Garside
Schutte, Nico EricA diagnostic tool for the assessment of competencies for human resource management professionals in South Africa
Prof EN Barkhuizen Prof L van der Sluis
Sebola, Nthabiseng Amenda
A nutritional assessment of Moringa oleifera leaf meal for chickens: Effect on growth performance, serum biochemistry and meat quality
Prof V Mlambo, Dr HK Mokoboki
Seleka, Moagisi Edwin The representation of youth as socio-political force in Ngugi’s novels Dr TT Mukhuba
Siwadi, PatienceIntegrating corporate governance, technology capability and social capital in the Zimbabwean manufacturing sector
Prof CO Miruka
Tchawouo Mbiada, Carlos Joel
Strengthening political accountability for effective realisation of the right to housing in South Africa: lessons learnt from the Slovo Park Information Settlement
Prof OJ Olowu
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POTCHEFSTROOM CAMPUS Student Title Promoter Co-promoter Assistant promoter
Asudi, George Ochieng Dynamics of Napier stunt phytoplasma between the wild and cultivated Graminae in East Africa Prof J van den Berg Dr CAO Midega Prof ZR Khan
Aucamp, Louise Petra A structured play therapy intervention model to mitigate the effects of childhood sexual abuse Dr MM Steyn Prof E van Rensburg
Bester, Nerina An assessment tool for workers to identify risk behaviour in foster children Prof AG Herbst
Botha, Monray Marsellus Employee participation and voice in companies: A legal perspective Prof N Smit
Botha, Shani
Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Teceptor: Exploring its potential as a marker of cardiovascular disease development in black South Africans of the PURE study
Dr CMT Fourie Prof AE Schutte, Prof R Schutte
Bothma, FranciskaA juridical foundation for accountability to enhance the security of the Higher Education lecturer in South Africa
Prof JP Rossouw
Bruwer, Erna JanaPhysical activity status, chronic stress, cardiovascular risk factors and telomere length in an urban South African
Prof JH de Ridder Prof L Malan Dr M Swanepoel
Chiuta, StevenExperimental and modelling evaluation of an ammonia-fuelled microchannel reactor for hydrogen generation
Prof RC Everson Prof HWJP Neomagus Dr DG Bessarabov
Coetzee, Sansha The caking and swelling of South African large coal particles
Prof HWJP Neomagus Prof JR Bunt Prof CA Strydom
De Villiers, Rikus RubenEvaluating the effectiveness of a newly developed simulation in improving the competence of audit students
Prof JP Fouché
Du Toit, Marie Joey An urban ecological synthesis of socio-ecological systems dynamics in Potchefstroom, South Africa Prof SS Cilliers
Els, Crizelle Strengths use and deficit improvement at work: A South African validation study Prof K Mostert Dr M van Woerkom
Ewerts, Hendrik
Laboratory-scale evaluation of different aspects related to Ceratium Hirundinella removal during simulation of a conventional water treatment plant which include sedimentation
Prof S Barnard Dr MS Janse van Vuuren
Fourie, Erika Review of subnational credit rating methodologies and their applicability in South Africa Prof T Verster Prof DCJ de Jongh,
Dr GW van Vuuren
Franken, Anja In Vitro skin permeation of selected group metals Prof JL de Plessis Prof FC Eloff Prof J du Plessis
Grobler, Magdalena Johanna
A qualitative investigation into the effect of the research environment on scientific productivity in engineering faculties at South African universities
Prof G van Schoor Prof ASJ Helberg Dr N Clarke
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POTCHEFSTROOM CAMPUS Student Title Promoter Co-promoter Assistant promoter
Groenewald, Hendrik Johannes
A performance-centred maintenance strategy for industrial DSM projects Prof M Kleingeld
Imandin, Lailah Developing a conceptual framework to analyse engagement and disengagement in the workplace Prof CJ Botha Prof CA Bisschoff
Jaggals, DivanMetacognitive locale: a design-based theory of students’ metacognitive language and networking in Mathematics
Prof MS van der Walt
Janse van Vuuren, Isak Dawid
Vulnerability as a multi-faceted phenomenon: A GIS-based data model for integrated development planning, environmental management and disaster risk reduction
Prof D van Niekerk
Jansen, Andre’n Holistiese perspektief op die missio Dei: ‘n Evaluering van die sendingwerk van die Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken in KwaNdebele (RSA)
Prof PJ Buys
Jordaan, Karen Molecular profiling of microbal population dynamics in environmental water
Prof CC Bezuidenhout
Jordaan, Tarina Planning the intangible: place attachment and public participation in South African town planning Prof FP Retief Ms K Puren
Kotze, Christina Magrietha
Fibrinogen functionality in black South Africans: The PURE study Prof M Pieters Prof JC Jerling Dr C Nienaber-
Rosseau
Kruger, Andries Johannes Evaluation of process parameters and membranes for SO2 electrolysis Prof HM Krieg Dr DG Bessarabov
Kruger, Corné GerdaApplied competence in a distance learning programme for the professional development of Foundation Phase teachers
Dr JM Janse van Rensburg Prof MW de Witt
Lammertyn, Leandi Haemostatic markers and cardiovascular function in black and white South Africans: The SABPA study Prof R Schutte Prof AE Schutte,
Prof M Pieters
Le Roux, Ronnie Rikus Bitstream specialisation for dynamic reconfiguration of real-time applications Prof G van Schoor Dr PA van Vuuren
Liebenberg, Janet Adri A framework for relevant software development education Prof HM Huisman Prof E Mentz
Liebenberg-Weyers, Danica
A multidisciplinary assessment of the distribution of African horse sickness in Namibia Prof H van Hamburg Prof SJ Piketh
Loubser, AnnemarieDie bydrae van leer- en onderrigsteunmateriaal, onderwysers en die omgewing tot die perseptueel-motoriese gereedmaking van graad R-leerders
Prof AE Pienaar Dr A Klopper
Lunga, Wilfred The inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems into Disaster Risk Reduction Policy: The Case of Zimbabwe Prof D van Niekerk Prof P Becker
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POTCHEFSTROOM CAMPUS Student Title Promoter Co-promoter Assistant promoter
Luthuli, Lesley Thulani Re-engineering the Copyright dividend in the illegal copyright market: An explorative conversation Dr SC Steyn Prof LTB Jackson
Malan, LindaEffects of iron and omega-3 supplementation on the immune system of iron deficient children in South Africa: a randomised controlled trial
Prof CM Smuts Prof PC Calder
Mc Hugh, Kyle JosephComprehensive fish health assessment and parasitological investigation of alien and indigenous fishes from the Amatola Region, South Africa
Prof NJ Smit Dr OLF Weyl
McCoy, Daniel James A comparison of Buddhist compassion to Christian love: an Apologetic study Prof HG Stoker DR WN Corduan
Mofokeng, Mantoa Augustina
A model for HIV and AIDS care, research and policy interface Prof HC Klopper
Mohammed Aliyu Danmusa
Synthesis and characterisation of high performance flocculants and superabsorbents from chemically modified starch and glycerol
Prof DA Young Prof HCM Vosloo
Moselakgomo, Violet Kankane
Health-related physical fitness and risk factors associated with obesity among primary school children in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa
Prof MA Monyeki Prof AL Toriola
Mostert, Clarise LetitiaA critical assessment of the key success factors of social media as a marketing tool in the South African tourism industry
Prof E Slabbert
Mushaathoni, Avhashoni Michael
A business process reengineering framework to enhance strategic planning within higher education: The case of Tshwane University of Technology
Prof G van der Walt
Mutyambai, Daniel Munyao
Exploiting early herbivory-induced defence traits in Zea species for the management of Chilo partellus in East Africa
Prof J van den Berg Dr CAO Midega Prof ZR Khan
Ngobeni, Mabedle Donald Modelling of galactic rays in the heliosphere Prof MS Potgieter
Norwood, John Rob JrThe historical impact and current challenges of Christian ministry among the Aboriginal people of the Delaware Bay region
Dr RG Galloway Prof PJ Buys
Ntiri, Eric SiawEstimating the impacts of climate change on interactions between different lepidopteran stemborer species
Prof J van den Berg Dr B Le Ru
Okeke, Donald ChiubaAn analysis of spatial development paradigm for enhancing regional integration within national and its supporting spatial systems in Africa
Prof CB Schoeman Prof EJ Cilliers
Perold, Zak Quality and safety implications of efavirenz and pyrimethamine crystal modifications Dr M Brits Dr E Swanepoel
Pieterse, Chiné Leptin: a bi-ethnic approach to unravel its role in cardiovascular disease. The SABPA study Prof R Schutte Prof AE Schutte
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POTCHEFSTROOM CAMPUS Student Title Promoter Co-promoter Assistant promoter
Prinsloo, Catharina Dorothea
A mixed method study of community-based HIV stigma reduction “hub” network Prof M Greeff Prof A Kruger,
Prof IP Khumalo
Rabe, Hermann Aspects of Toeplitz operators and matrices: asymptotics, norms, singular values Prof ACM Ran Prof GJ Groenewald Prof JH Fourie
Richter, Marilize Associations between plasma fatty acids, dietary fatty acids and cardiovascular risk factors: The PURE study Prof CM Smuts Prof M Pieters Dr J Baumgartner
Roberts, Mokone JosephThe molecular structure of selected South African coal-chars to elucidate fundamental principles of coal gasification
Prof RC Everson Prof HWJP Neomagus
Roux, Alwyn Petrus Vergelykende ondersoek na landskap as woon in die latere poësie van Breyten Breytenbach en Lucebert Prof HM Viljoen
Schrader, Aljoscha Alexander
Geohydrological consequences associated with the post-mine closure flooding of dewatered dolomitic karst aquifers in the Far West Rand, South Africa
Prof F Winde
Sithole, Vusi Ezra An E-Governance Training Model for public managers: The case of selected Free State Provincial departments Prof G van der Walt
Skaal, Hajira Thabitha Physical activity, health-related fitness and social correlates among adolescents: the PAHL study Prof MA Monyeki
Slabbert, Francios Naude An analysis of antidepressant noncompliance in the private health sector of South Africa Prof MS Lubbe Prof CB Brink,
Prof BH Harvey
Sotunde, Olusola Funmilayo
Body composition, bone health and vitamin D status of African adults in the North West Province Prof HS Kruger Dr L Havemann-Nel,
Dr HH Wright
Sparks, Martinique Internal and external match loads of university-level soccer players: a comparison between methods Prof B Coetzee Dr TJ Gabbett
Steyn, Helga A proposed support strategy for sexually abused boys in their middle childhood placed in a clinic school Dr C van Wyk Dr AE Kitching
Strydom, Schalk Johannes
Application of nanocoatings produced by electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembling to improve the physicochemical properties of drugs and excipients
Prof MM de Villiers Prof W Liebenberg
Swanepoel, Abraham Johannes
Radio-labelling as a tool to investigate the bio-distribution of the Pheroid® system Prof AF Grobler Prof JR Zeevaart Prof RK Haynes
Swanepoel, Annelie Early warning system for the prediction of algal-related impacts on drinking water purification Prof S Barnard Prof Recknagel
Swanepoel, Jan Adriaan Modelling techniques to minimise operational costs in energy intensive industries Prof M Kleingeld
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POTCHEFSTROOM CAMPUS Student Title Promoter Co-promoter Assistant promoter
Tian, HailiThe effect of an enhanced quality Physical Education Programme on physical activity and fitness among Grade 7-learners in Potchefstroom
Dr D du Toit Prof AL Toriola
Tole, Tegene Tesfaye Manipulation of pyridinyl-alcoholato ligands of Grubbs-type complexes for alkene metathesis Prof HCM Vosloo Dr JHL Jordaan
Tsihelashvili, Olga Vladimirovna
Exploring Natalia Pirozerskaya’s piano method and teaching philosophy: an intrinsic case study Prof HM Potgieter Dr L van der Merwe
Van der Merwe, Gabriel Petrus Rossouw
A risk-based approach to the acquisition of electronic safety equipment for mines Prof JEW Holm
Van der Merwe, Johannes Daniël
Quality, pricing and the performance of the wheat industry in South Africa
Prof HD van Schalkwyk Dr PC Cloete
Van der Sluis, RenciaInvestigation and characterisation of the genetic variation in the coding region of the glycine N-acyltransferase gene
Prof AA van Dijk Prof FH van der Westhuizen
Van Graan, Anna Catharina
Clinical judgement in nursing: A teaching-learning strategy for South African undergraduate nursing students
Prof MP Koen Dr MJS Williams
Van Heerden, JacobusFormulation, characterisation and in vivo efficacy of dapasone and proguanil in trimethylated chitosan mocroparticles
Prof LH du Plessis Prof JH Steenkamp Prof AF Kotze
Van Niekerk, Lizl-Louise
Fundamentele bewegingsvaardighede, motoriese behendigheid en verwantskappe met fisieke aktiwiteit en akademiese prestasie van Senior Fase leerders: die PAHL-studie
Dr D du Toit Prof AE Pienaar
Van Tonder, Adriaan Jacobus Marthinus
Automation of compressor networks through a dynamic control system Prof M Kleingeld
Visagie, Izak Jacobus Henning On the calibration of Lévy option pricing models Prof F Lombard
Wait, Charles Victor Requier
The development of a structure to evaluate petroleum fiscal systems in Africa Prof AE Loots Dr H Bezuidenhout
Wessels, Johannes Albertus
Understanding independent Environmental Control Officers: Learning from major South African construction projects
Prof FP Retief Prof AN Morrison-Saunders
Zatu, Mandlenkosi Caswell
Alcohol intake and cardiovascular function of black South Africans: a 5-year prospective study Prof AE Schutte Prof JM van Rooyen
Zikambahari, Jean de Dieu The attainment of self-determination in African states by rebels Dr HJ Lubbe Prof GM Ferreira
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VAAL TRIANGLE CAMPUSStudent Title Promoter Co-promoter Assistant promoter
Brink, Linda Eugene Die lewe, werk en invloed van FV Engelenburg in Suid-Afrika (1889-1938) Prof JWN Tempelhoff Prof JE van der Elst
Diedericks, Rita Incubator services that small service organisations require from a university business incubator Prof N de Klerk
Gilliland, Sonja Problem solving using multimedia Prof AJ van der Merwe Prof P Kotze
Koloba, Habofanwe Andreas
The relationship between perceived employability and intention for self-employment among university students
Prof J Surujlal Dr V Leendertz
Küng, Elize An education-juridical perspective on the status of educators Prof E de Waal
Melato, Seleme Revelation
Exploring psychological well-being in a group of marginalised African youth Prof C van Eeden Prof S Rothmann
Mokgele, Kelebogile Revelation Felicity
Study demands, study resources and well-being of first-year students in South Africa with higher education institutions
Prof S Rothmann
Motale, Matebello Dieketseng Bethsheba
The social impact of arts festivals: the case of Klein Karoo National Arts Festivals Prof AL Bevan-Dye Prof N de Klerk
Muzindutsi, Paul-Francoi Effect of Socially Responsible Investment on economic development in South Africa: An econometric analysis Dr TJ Sekhampu
Nhlapo, Job MphikeleliA qualitative appraisal of the meaning and challenges of the principal’s school governance role in the Gert Sibande Region
Prof MI Xaba
Ogbokor, Cyril Ayetuoma Foreign trade and economic growth in Namibia: A time series analysis, 1990Q1 to 2012Q4 Dr DF Meyer Prof WCJ Grobler
Payne-Van Staden, Isabel Exploring Full-Service School teachers’ self-efficacy within an inclusive education system Prof M Nel
Pienaar, Marius The development and implementation of e-assessment as component of WIL: a case study Prof BJJ Lombard
Redda, Ephrem Habtemichael
Electronic banking services in South Africa: Service quality scale development and validation Prof J Surujlal Dr V Leendertz
Roets, Christiaan Rudolf Quintis
Role of brand trust in creating brand equity in the mobile phone industry amongst black Generation Y students
Dr WP Viljoen
Synodinos, Costa Antecedents of green purchase behaviour amongst Black Generation Y students Prof AL Bevan-Dye
Van Rensburg, Angelique Christina
A social ecological investigation of African youths’ resilience Prof LC Theron Prof S Rothmann
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These awards, presented by the vice-chancellor of the NWU, reward researchers for their research performance in a specific reporting year, in this case 2015.
Nominations in the following categories are considered:
Z Student medals
> Vice-Chancellor’s Medal
> S2A3 Medal
Z Creative Outputs
Z Research Awards
> Leadership in Research
> Most Productive Researcher
> Most Productive Junior Researcher
> Most Productive Research Entity
> Research Excellence at International Level
The following nominations were received:
Student medalsVice-Chancellor’s Medal
Student Supervisor School/ Entity Category Campus
Ms C Csongradi Dr M Gerber Pharmacen Health Sciences Potchefstroom
Mr AGS Gous Prof EH Mathews Unit of Energy and Technology Systems Engineering Potchefstroom
Ms FMJ Kleinschmidt Prof Dr BJ de KlerkUnit for Reformed Theology and the Development of the SA Society
Theology Potchefstroom
Ms ST Nthutang Prof N Mavetera School of Economics and Decision Sciences Commerce Mafikeng
Mr WS Ravyse Prof AS Blignaut, Dr V Leenderts TELIT-SA Natural Sciences Vaal Triangle
Mr H Sabao Prof OO Otafudu School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences Natural Sciences Mafikeng
Ms C Thuynsma Dr L de Beer WorkWell Commerce Potchefstroom
Ms HC van Dyk Prof FH van der Westhuizen Human Metabolomics Natural Sciences Potchefstroom
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S2A3 Medal
Student Study leader Entity Faculty Campus
Mr WA Bisschoff Prof R Gouws School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering Engineering Potchefstroom
Ms NG Mphuthi Prof E Ebenso MaSIM Agriculture, Science and Technology Mafikeng
Ms C Nortje Mr E Erasmus, Dr R van der Sluis Human Metabolomics Natural Sciences Potchefstroom
Ms E Jansen van Vuren Prof L Malan, Prof NT Malan, Ms M Cockeran
HART Health Sciences Potchefstroom
Creative Outputs
Nominee Campus
Prof SF Greyling Potchefstroom
Prof HP Koornhof Potchefstroom
Mr CF Pretorius Potchefstroom
Research AwardsLeadership in Research
Nominee Campus
Prof N Barkhuizen Mafikeng
Most Productive Researcher
Nominee Campus
Prof WT Dudu Mafikeng
Prof R Gouws Potchefstroom
Prof N Mavetera Mafikeng
Prof M Saayman Potchefstroom
Prof J van den Berg Potchefstroom
Prof N Vorster Potchefstroom
Most Productive Junior Researcher
Nominee Campus
Dr MM Kabanda Mafikeng
Prof M Kruger Potchefstroom
Prof N Moroke Mafikeng
Most Productive Research Entity
Entity Campus
Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management Potchefstroom
Unit for Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society
Potchefstroom
TREES Potchefstroom
Research Excellence at International Level
Nominee Campus
Prof N Barkhuizen Mafikeng
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RESEARCH ENTITIES
RESEARCH CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE26 Z CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR NUTRITION (CEN)28 Z CENTRE FOR SPACE RESEARCH (CSR)30 Z CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES (PHARMACEN)
RESEARCH UNITS32 Z AFRICA UNIT FOR TRANSDISCIPLINARY HEALTH RESEARCH (AUTHeR)34 Z DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONSTITUTIONAL STATE36 Z EDU-HRIGHT RESEARCH UNIT38 Z HYPERTENSION IN AFRICA RESEARCH TEAM (HART)40 Z TOURISM RESEARCH IN ECONOMIC ENVIRONS AND SOCIETY (TREES)42 Z UNIT FOR BUSINESS MATHEMATICS AND INFORMATICS44 Z UNIT FOR ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS (UETS)46 Z UNIT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT48 Z UNIT FOR LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT50 Z UNIT FOR REFORMED THEOLOGY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
SOUTH AFRICAN SOCIETY52 Z WORKWELL: RESEARCH UNIT FOR ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES
RESEARCH FOCUS AREAS54 Z ANCIENT TEXTS: TEXT, CONTEXT AND RECEPTION56 Z CHEMICAL RESOURCE BENEFICIATION (CRB)58 Z COMMUNITY PSYCHOSOCIAL RESEARCH (COMPRES)60 Z HUMAN METABOLOMICS62 Z MATERIAL SCIENCE INNOVATION AND MODELLING (MASIM)64 Z OPTENTIA66 Z PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, SPORT AND RECREATION (PhASRec)68 Z POPULATION AND HEALTH70 Z QUALITY IN NURSING AND MIDWIFERY (INSINQ)72 Z SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING74 Z SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION76 Z TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT (TRADE)78 Z UNDERSTANDING AND PROCESSING LANGUAGE IN COMPLEX SETTINGS (UPSET)
RESEARCH NICHE AREAS80 Z FOOD SECURITY AND SAFETY82 Z MEDICINE USAGE IN SOUTH AFRICA (MUSA)84 Z LIFESTYLE DISEASES86 Z MULTILINGUAL SPEECH TECHNOLOGIES (MuST)88 Z MUSICAL ARTS IN SOUTH-AFRICA: RESOURCES AND APPLICATIONS (MASARA) 90 Z OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE AND HEALTH RESEARCH INITIATIVE (OHHRI)92 Z VISUAL NARRATIVES AND CREATIVE OUTPUTS THROUGH INTERDISCIPLINARY AND
PRACTICE-LED RESEARCH (VINCU)
RESEARCH CENTRES94 Z DST HYSA INFRASTRUCTURE CENTRE OF COMPETENCE96 Z DST/NWU PRE-CLINICAL DRUG DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM (PCDDP)98 Z INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS (IKS) CENTRE
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RESEARCH CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
Prof Marius Smuts
IntroductionCommitted to making a contribution towards improving the nutritional status of individuals, households, communities and populations, the Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN) strives to provide scientific evidence for solutions to nutritional problems in South Africa, the rest of Africa and globally.
CEN is a partner institution of the NRF/DST Centre of Excellence for Food Security and has a diverse base of expertise, an extensive national and global network and a prominent international profile. The centre’s researchers have an excellent track record of project delivery and publication and maintain a good balance between global competitiveness and local relevance. Our research approach “from molecules to society” enables us to contribute on all levels of nutrition-related health issues.
Research highlightsIn July 2015, CEN successfully completed the TSWAKA study, a nutrition intervention study intended to improve growth and development in infants (six to 12 months). This study, involving national and international collaboration, commenced in 2013 and was CEN’s largest intervention study since the group’s inception in 2009.
In implementing our expertise, CEN established a very successful partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). We developed a pan-African team of leadership trainers from 10 countries and implemented leadership capacity-building programmes in two districts in Uganda and three districts in Rwanda.
In other highlights, two of our researchers received NRF ratings. Dr J Baumgartner became a Y1-rated researcher and Dr C Nienaber-Rossouw received a Y2 rating.
Two major international congresses were awarded to CEN based on successful bids. These were the International Fibrinogen Workshop and International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL), the bids for which were prepared and led by Prof M Pieters and Prof CM Smuts respectively.
Skills baseThe Centre of Excellence for Nutrition has a highly motivated staff complement. Many team members are regarded as experts in their fields of study and serve on a variety of international expert panels.
Seven members currently hold an NRF rating and from our favourable age and experience distribution we expect to grow the number of rating applications in the immediate future. The centre makes full use of development opportunities such as study leave, international visits and specialised training opportunities.
Publication outputThe CEN’s upward trend in the quantity and quality of research outputs continued in 2015. Our researchers published 40 papers, compared to the previous year’s 26. The CEN article equivalents stood at 22,26, an excellent number, taking the group’s developing nature into account.
By far the majority of articles, 36 (90%), were in inter-national journals. Twenty one papers were published in journals with an impact factor of more than two and of those six in journals with an impact factor of more than four. Another good sign was that two thirds of the papers were published in collaboration with other research entities at the NWU, or in conjunction with various national and international collaborators.
Research partnerships and collaborationThrough strategic research partnerships, CEN contributes to bilateral capacity building and exchange of research ideas, while exploring new funding opportunities and extending networks.
Internationally, we have strong partnerships with Wageningen University and Erasmus University in the Netherland, ETH Zurich in Switzerland, the universities of Leeds, Southampton and Manchester in the United Kingdom, and the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. In South Africa, CEN collaborates extensively with the South African Medical Research Council.
Several postgraduate students have benefited from these collaborations and many papers were co-authored with collaborators. Indeed, only 13 out of the 40 papers published in 2015 were not co-written by collaborators. CEN also hosted three interns from Potsdam University and a number of NRF Interns.
The EVIDENT (Evidence Informed Decision Making in Health and Nutrition) collaboration capacity development activities with universities in Belgium, Benin, Ghana,
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Morocco, Ethiopia and Tanzania were particular highlights and achievements of 2015. During the year, we also strengthened our collaboration with Potsdam University in Germany and our clinical collaboration with the University of Ghana.
Recognition of standingMany of the centre’s researchers hold leadership positions in authoritative nutrition research or policy bodies in South Africa and beyond:
Z Prof Esté Vorster is a member of the Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group of the World Health Organization (WHO) and serves on the executive council of the Academy of Science for South Africa as secretary general.
Z Prof Marlien Pieters was appointed as co-chairman of the Scientific and Standardisation Subcommittee on Factor XIII and Fibrinogen of the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. She was also elected as a member of the South African Young Academy of Science and received the AU-TWAS Young Scientist National Award in the Earth and Life Sciences category.
Z Prof Edelweiss Wentzel-Viljoen is chairperson of the Board of Dietetics and Nutrition of the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
Z Dr Namukolo Covic is a member of the Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science, an institute of the New York Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the WHO, and serves on the executive council of the World Public
Health Nutrition Association and the Federation of African Nutrition Societies.
Z Prof Johann Jerling is a trustee of the African Nutrition Society.
Z Prof Marius Smuts was elected to the board of directors of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL).
ConclusionThe past year has been another exciting one at CEN. We have lived our shared vision of becoming leaders in developing scholars in nutrition in Africa, and identified the critical success factors for achieving this vision.
We have formulated and implemented action plans to assist in this and is experiencing the growth that we expected to see from our strategy. We look forward to extending our leadership in developing scholars in the field to an even greater extent in the years to come.
We would like to express our gratitude to the NWU management for the initiatives that have been launched to drive our ever-increasing research focus.
PROF CM SMUTS Director: Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN)+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
Leaders in developing scholars in nutrition in Africa
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RESEARCH CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
Prof Stefan Ferreira
IntroductionAlready extensively involved in most major astronomy projects in Southern Africa, the Centre for Space Research reached new heights in 2015 by becoming one of two new nodes for the National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme (NASSP).
This demonstrates the group’s success in building critical mass in astrophysics and space physics, and in helping to ensure that the South African government’s investments in astronomy and its related observational infrastructure bear fruit.
Through the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the government has invested in the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), the upcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and the MeerKAT radio Telescope. Members of the CSR are actively involved in all these projects. We also play an active role on different panels of the forthcoming Cerenkov Telescope Array (CTA).
In addition, the centre is the primary South African member of the highly successful High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) collaboration, and our researchers established the South African Gamma-Ray Astronomy Programme (SA-GAMMA) to coordinate national research efforts in gamma-ray astronomy.
Research highlightsDuring 2015, three extraordinary appointments were made, enhancing the centre’s work on some key projects. One of our extraordinary appointees, Dr Sharmila Goedhart, is a senior commissioning SKA scientist and is working on the commissioning of the MeerKAT telescope. She is also co-supervising CSR students and participates in joint projects.
Another extraordinary appointee from the SKA project, Dr Nadeem Oozeer, is also actively involved in MeerKAT and is helping us prepare our contribution to the MeerKAT large surveys.
In addition, Dr Lee-Anne McKinnel, managing director of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), was appointed as an extraordinary professor to increase collaboration with SANSA, which has signed a memorandum of understanding with the NWU to train the next generation of space phycisists. Furthermore, one of our 2015 PhD students has been appointed as a researcher at SANSA and we look forward to even closer collaboration in the near future.
Skills baseIn 2015 the Centre for Space Research had 25 participants, consisting of 12 full-time members, 10 postdoctoral fellows, and three extraordinary appointees. Seventeen PhD students and 13 MSc students were enrolled during 2015.
Sadly, one of our senior members and an NRF A-rated researcher, Prof Harm Moraal, passed away during 2015. His leadership within the centre, as well as nationally and internationally, will be greatly missed.
We strongly encourage members to participate in the NRF rating system. The centre now has two A-rated, three B-rated, three C-rated researchers and one P-rated researcher.
Publication outputOur article equivalent (AE) output for 2015 was 17,07, with two thirds of these outputs in journals with impact factors above five. Furthermore, the CSR delivered six MSc and three PhD students. Members were also external examiners of various international students and expert reviewers of numerous international and national proposals and papers.
Outreach is part of the centre’s work. Dr Ilani Loubser, together with postgraduate students, conducted astronomy outreach during the year and assisted the learners of a rural primary school who had progressed to the second round of the National Science Quiz.
We also hosted various groups at our Nooitgedacht telescope. Prof Markus Böttcher made a public outreach presentation entitled “The violent universe”, which close to 300 people attended. Prof Felix Spanier gave a similar talk at a science convention in Germany.
Partnerships and collaborationEstablishing and maintaining international and national networks is a vital part of the CSR’s strategy for competing internationally. During the year, we continued to be an integral part of the international HESS collaboration, hosting its semi-annual collaboration meeting for 75 delegates from Europe, Namibia and South Africa.
We maintained close relationships with leading scientific bodies such as the International Union of Pure and
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Applied Physics (IUPAP), the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), the South African National Institute for Theoretical Physics and the NRF Standing Astronomy Grants Panel, among many others. More details of this involvement can be found under the section on awards and recognition.
During the year, 22 of our collaborators and their students visited us in Potchefstroom, complementing our own overseas visits. Members and students used conferences and workshops as opportunities to present their research findings. Of these events, 20 were prestigious invited or keynote presentations.
Awards and recognitionMany of the centre’s members held leadership positions in national or international astronomy organisations, while others were involved in organising major conferences:
Z Prof Markus Böttcher is the chair of SA-GAMMA which now consists of five member institutions. He represents South Africa on the CTA Resource Board and is the chair of the Publication Board and multi-wavelength coordinator of the Extragalactic Working Group of the HESS collaboration.
In addition, he chairs the organising committee for the 2017 International Texas Symposium, to be held in in South Africa, and is a member of the NRF Standing Astronomy Grants Panel and the Review Panel for the selection of NASA Einstein Postdoctoral Fellowships.
Z Prof Adri Burger serves as member of IUPAP Commission C4 for Cosmic Rays. Prof Stefan Ferreira is vice-chair for Sub-commission D1 (Heliosphere) of COSPAR and was admitted to the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).
Dr Paulus Kruger and Mr Barend Visser demonstrated the CSR’s patented low-noise amplifiers at the DST’s Innovation Bridge Technology Showcase and Matchmaking event.
Our patented ignition system was tested by Toyota at their USA research facilities and the two researchers presented their results at a conference in France. Two new patents were filed on a novel corona automotive ignition system.
Z At the invitation of the DST, Dr Ilani Loubser helped facilitate a workshop for trainers in the SKA programme. Under her leadership a SKA Interferometry school was hosted for 35 postgraduate and postdoctoral fellows from Mozambique, Mauritius, Madagascar, Gambia and Zambia, among others. The workshop brought together 12 lecturers from the NWU, the SKA project, the Hartebeesthoek Radio
Observatory, Cape Town, Canada, the Netherlands and Australia. Dr Oozeer also organised the science programme and lecture material for this school and was instrumental in obtaining the SKA Human Capacity Grant awarded to us for this purpose.
Z The Application in Physics group under the leadership of the late Prof Harm Moraal, Dr Helena Kruger and Dr Paulus Kruger made significant progress with our mini-neutron monitor project.
Five of our mini-neutron monitors are still in operation: one at the German Antarctic station Neumayer, one on the German research vessel Polarstern, two at the Finnish-Italian station at Dome C in Antarctica, and one in Mexico. There is still international interest in our mini-neutron monitor programme and improvements on the electronics were made in 2015.
Z Prof Marius Potgieter is chairperson of the SA National Committee for COSPAR and the Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP), and represents South Africa on the COSPAR Council. He is also member of the COSPAR Publication Committee, SCOSTEP Awards committee, the International Steering Committee on Space Weather and the SA National Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Prof Potgieter was a member of the Duggal Award Committee for Young Researchers (at the International Cosmic Ray Conference) and of the Organising and Programme Committee of the workshop on Solar Energetic Particles (SEP), Solar Modulation and Space Radiation in Hawaii.
Z Dr DuToit Strauss received a four-month Fulbright visiting scholar award for postdoctoral research in Huntsville, USA.
Z Prof Christo Venter is secretary of the Astrophysics and Space Science Division of the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) (2014-2016) and a member of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions and the South African Academy for Science and Arts.
ConclusionFrom our research output to our international profile and collaborative networks, 2015 was a good year for the centre. There is much to look forward to in 2016, when many projects will gain momentum and the NWU will be at the leading edge.
PROF STEFAN FERREIRA Director: Centre for Space Research+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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RESEARCH CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
Prof Jeanetta du Plessis
Introduction Faced with challenges such as rising medicine costs, growing multidrug resistance and the high burden of disease, South Africa urgently requires expert, innovative pharmaceutical solutions. Pharmacen has a clear focus and the programmes are linked to national priorities and have international research impact.
Our mission is to achieve excellence in research through the accumulation of new scientific knowledge, and to apply our research findings in the development of novel pharmaceutical products and technologies.
The centre currently consists of three programmes, namely Translational Neuroscience and Neurotherapeutics, Drug Design and Drug Delivery.
Our main activities lie within the Medical Research Council (MRC) flagship programme MAL-TB REDOX, animal models of anxiety/stress disorders (MRC subunit), novel drug design in neuroprotection, biopharmaceutics and drug delivery systems, solid-state pharmaceutical innovation and nanotechnology (SPIN) and cosmeceutical research.
Research highlightsProf JP Petzer received the coveted Havenga Prize for Physical Sciences (Chemistry) from the South African Academy for Science and Art. His work focuses on the discovery and design of novel drugs for the treatment of neuro-degenerative diseases, with special reference to Parkinson’s disease.
Prof A Petzer was selected as a young affiliate of the World Academy of Sciences, Regional Office for sub-Saharan Africa (TWAS-ROSSA).
Both Prof BH Harvey and Prof J du Plessis received much-sought-after memberships from the Academy of Science of SA (ASSAf).
Pharmacen’s postdoctoral fellow, Dr Jaco Wentzel, was awarded the AGNES Grant for Junior Researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa. He was one of 10 applicants to receive this prestigious grant, which was made possible by generous sponsorships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).
Skills base This research entity has grown into a critical mass of expertise, with 12 full-time researchers, 11 laboratory technicians and four administrative staff members. Sixteen
faculty members from the School of Pharmacy also play a huge role in our research activities.
The fact that we have 18 NRF-rated scientists underlines the research-oriented nature and stature of Pharmacen. Not only has there been a significant increase in the number of our scientists achieving rating, but also a remarkable increase in the overall level of rating.
Currently, we have one A-rated, one B-rated, 11 C-rated and five Y-rated scientists. We had a total of 52 registered MSc students and 41 registered PhD students in 2015.
Research output Most elements of our research showed gains in 2015, as shown in the graph on the next page. The article equiva-lents (AE) published increased to 37,46 AE from 31,69 in the previous year. All of the publications were in interna-tional ISI journals with an average impact factor of 3,01.
Pharmacen delivered 14 MSc graduates (71% cum laude) and eight PhD graduates. We also hosted 12 postdoctoral fellows, five of whom were international postdoctoral fellows. The AE output of the postdoctoral fellows was 3,40.
Partnerships and collaborationMost of the research is conducted within the centre itself, although there are meaningful collaborations with local and international partners.
These include local institutions such as the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, University of Pretoria, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, the University of the Western Cape and the Tshwane University of Technology, as well as various international partners in Europe, Asia and the United States.
The NWU-South African Medical Research Council flagship project, MALTB REDOX: Development of Oxidant and Redox Drug Combinations for Treatment of Malaria, TB and Related Diseases, is now entering its third and final year.
Progress has been good – a new quinolone prepared from the cheap old anti-coccidiosis drug decoquinate has been shown to possess exceptionally good activities against multidrug resistant and sensitive malaria parasites, and another derivative displays promising activity against the tuberculosis bacterium.
In addition, the team has identified both known drugs used for other indications, eg cancer, and new derivatives of these known drugs that are active against both malaria and TB.
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Wildlife Pharmaceuticals contacted SPIN regarding an injection formulation problem. We were able to solve the problem and develop three new formulations which they can now test in terms of stability, as well as suitability for use by veterinarians out in the field.
The Biopharmaceuticals research group has a collabora-tion with the Agricultural Research Council. Honey bush (Cyclopia species) tea contains phytochemical ingredients with anti-oxidant properties and the uptake of these chemical compounds across epithelial cells into the circulating blood is not yet known. The research collaboration focuses on the determination of in vitro transport of honey bush tea extracts and single compounds across intestinal epithelia.
One of our collaborators, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, has identified a medicinal plant that has properties that make it usable in the prevention of some diseases. The active ingredients of this plant are unfortunately eliminated rapidly from the body. This collaboration focuses on the development of a modified release preparation to overcome this problem.
Prof BH Harvey have collaborated with the following international researchers:
Z Prof Ml Berk and Dr O Dean: Deakin University in Geelong, Australia
Z Prof G Wegener: Aarhus University in Denmark
Z Prof L Trabace: University of Foggia in Italy
Z Dr J Schetz: University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth.
In addition, Prof Harvey has active collaborations with several pharmaceutical companies:
Z Servier Pharma, Paris, France: studying pharmacological properties of agomelatine in a social isolation rearing model looking at depressive and anxiety-related behaviours, as well as associated biomarkers relating to neuroendocrine function, neuroplasticity, oxidative stress and monoamines
Z Lundbeck Pharma, Copenhagen, Denmark: studying the deer mouse model of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and its response to escitalopram
Z Orion Pharma, Turku, Finland: studying the pharmacological and bio-behavioral properties of novel alpha-2c receptor antagonists in translational animal models of depression, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Recognition and awardsThree researchers received NRF re-ratings in 2015, namely Prof JH Hamman, Prof CB Brink and Prof DW Oliver. Dr ME Aucamp received NRF rating for the first time and was promoted to associate professor in 2015 with effect from 1 January 2016.
Five of our researchers received awards at the annual Pharmacology congress held in association with the South African Society of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (SASBCP) and Toxicology SA (TOXSA) in Braamfontein, Johannesburg from 31 August to 3 September 2015:
Z In the Young Scientist Competition, second prize was awarded to Mr JC Schoeman.
Z Travel Awards were awarded to Ms T Swanepoel and Ms M Hamman.
Z Best Publication in Basic Pharmacology 2013 was awarded to Dr M Möller-Wolmarans.
Z Prof BH Harvey received both the Best Publication Award in Pharmacology 2015 and the Best Publication Award in Basic Pharmacology 2015.
The research and subsequent discovery of artemisinin by Madam Tu Youyou, Nobel Prize Winner for Physiology or Medicine, led to Pharmacen’s A-rated researcher, Prof Richard Haynes, being invited by the South African editor of the Conversation to write an article on malaria.
The SPIN research group consisting of Prof N Stieger, Prof W Liebenberg and Dr ME Aucamp received a TIA Seed Fund Award for their application titled Pharmaceutical Amorphous Solid Dispersions PhASDs.
Conclusion Pharmacen had a very successful year in terms of the delivery of postgraduate students and a record number (58) of high-impact international publications. The impact and quality of research outputs are increasing, and the team will continue to strive for further increases in research outputs.
PROF JEANETTA DU PLESSISDirector: Pharmacen+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
Research outputs of Pharmacen (2013 – 2015)40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
201320142015
Post DocsPhD graduatesMSc graduatesAENRF-ratings
12129
89
6
141617
37.4
6
31.6
9
24.1
6
181713
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RESEARCH UNIT
Prof Petra Bester
IntroductionAUTHeR’s competitive advantage lies within exploring bio-psychosocial health in an epidemiological context to prevent illness, maintain and promote health and facilitate quality health systems.
AUTHeR follows a holistic approach to problems and opportunities specific to Africa, where health is affected by HIV, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), nutrition transition and rapid urbanisation, and where people empowerment is a priority.
The dynamic nature of AUTHeR mirrors the dynamism of the North-West University itself. AUTHeR is a unique research unit within a unique university. Apart from our considerable research skills, we also have distinctive strengths in community engagement and teaching-learning, and the capability to develop fledgling research entities to maturity – to the point where they can be established as independent entities in their own right.
From 2005 to 2014, for example, AUTHeR delivered six spin-off research entities, namely the Centre of Excellence in Nutrition (CEN), the Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation (PhASRec), Quality in Nursing and Midwifery (INSINQ), Occupational Hygiene and Health Research Initiative (OHHRI) and Community Psychosocial Research (COMPRES). This means one new venture every 1,5 years over the nine-year period.
In the last restructuring of AUTHeR, in 2014, three of our staff members were integrated into the Health Research Ethics Office of the Faculty of Health Sciences. Consolidation followed in 2015 and the unit now consists of the AUTHeR Research Office and Consumer Sciences Group, both focusing on mono and multidisciplinary research.
Research highlightsIn 2015, the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study (PURE), entered the 10th year of data collection. This is the largest longitudinal and multidisciplinary project ever conducted within the Faculty of Health Sciences. Through PURE-SA, AUTHeR participated with 26 high, low and medium-income countries experiencing rapid urbanisation and associated nutrition transition.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Award for Community Engagement was presented to Prof Annamarie Kruger (former research director) for community upliftment conducted according to the Sustainable Livelihoods’
approach. The WINLab, a community engagement platform, is one of 11 LivingLabs in South Africa. (Please refer to the section on special projects for more details on community engagement successes.)
In 2015 real-life health challenges were positively addressed when AUTHeR presented an Umsinsi-Convatec mobile clinic to the Frances Baard municipality, Northern Cape.
Research outputIn 2015, with a staff complement of 37, AUTHeR published 32 articles in accredited journals, just over half the number achieved in 2014 when the unit was three times bigger. We also published 18 conference proceedings, chapters in six books and editorials.
A noteworthy achievement was Prof Annamarie Kruger’s co-authoring of “The environmental profile of a community’s health: a cross-sectional study on tobacco marketing in 16 countries” in the World Health Organisation’s Bulletin, 1 December 2015.
Skills baseFollowing the restructuring of 2014, when the unit had 91 participants, we began 2015 with 37 team members, 19 of whom conducted research. The latter comprised eight primary researchers, five secondary researchers, two temporary researchers and four postdoctoral fellows.
In 2015 AUTHeR had 21 students enrolled for the Magister Atrium in Positive Psychology (MAPP) and six students in the new Master’s in Health Science (MHSc) in transdisciplinary health promotion.
AUTHeR has five NRF-rated researchers, one with a C1 rating, two with C2, one with C3 and one Y2-rated researcher. Most of the rated staff members are older researchers, making it imperative to implement an effective research succession plan. We activated a succession plan in 2015, ensuring that the unit will continue to produce rated researchers.
Partnerships and collaborationAUTHeR has 12 international collaborations stretching over eight countries. Expertise can be exchanged for the MAPP, a programme benchmarked with international quality. The majority of collaborations serve purposefully to strengthen research skills, methodology, content
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develop ment, external moderation and combined funding efforts.
AUTHeR is a regular annual destination for a number of German students seeking research experience within the realities of rural South Africa.
Nationally, intersectoral partnerships are essential for effective transdisciplinary research. AUTHeR has eight active national collaborations, from the Phokwane Municipality in Vaalharts (home of the WINLab) to corporate industry. These collaborations enable AUTHeR to enter communities, undertake combined research projects and place students for work-integrated learning. The win-win nature of these collaborations is empowerment for the participating communities.
We also encourage collaboration within the university. The MAPP and the MHSc in gerontology are aligned between the Vaal Triangle and Potchefstroom campuses. This reflects the true nature of transdisciplinarity across faculties (Health Sciences, Engineering, Economic and Management Sciences, Natural Sciences, Theology, etc).
Special projectsAs indicated in figure 2, AUTHeR presents, in addition to research, also teaching-learning and work-integrated learning (WIL) platforms, making the unit a leader in sustainable community engagement projects. Community engagement projects strive to promote sustainability and ensure that the community is an equal member of the research team.
The WINLab (WIN refers to Well-being INNovation), a Council for Science and Industry Research (CSIR) acclaimed LivingLab based in three Vaalharts communities, functions from the sustainable livelihoods approach. Highlights of 2015 included the Discovery Fund community health workers ceremony, when 45 trained community health workers received LIFEPLAN® and vital signs training and were presented with 45 kits to implement primary healthcare.
In other highlights for the WINLab project, AUTHeR established a WIN advisory board, handed over the Umsinsi Healthcare Convatec, a fully functional mobile clinic, to the Frances Baard District, and signed a memorandum of understanding with the CSIR’s Meraka Institute to develop and expand eHealth platforms.
The WINLab project outputs for 2015 included participation from two research entities and four schools from different disciplines. In all, 79 students participated in research and/or work-integrated learning, including 29 postgraduate students, among whom were six international students.
During 2015, AUTHeR also supported four other sustain-able community projects, namely HoldingHands, LIFEPLAN®, a glass recycling project and Demand Renewable Oil Project (DROP). Owing to previous successes, the Programme to Support Pro-Poor Policy Development (PSPPD) and Come Dine with Me projects were funded for a second round.
ConclusionAs 2015 progressed, AUTHeR underwent positive and negative challenges. The WINLab expanded into WIN1 (Vaalharts), WIN2 (greater Potchefstroom) and WIN3 (Bojanala Platinum District, Rustenburg). This confirms buy-in from the university and faculty into structured community engagement. AUTHeR researchers maintained a substantive research output and new postgraduate programmes enjoyed sufficient interest and enrolment.
Regrettably, in December 2015, Prof Annamarie Kruger resigned as AUTHeR’s director, resulting in the loss of a great visionary leader. This will, however, be viewed as an enriching challenge as AUTHeR starts to prepare for external evaluation in 2017.
PROF PETRA BESTER Director: AUTHeR+27 (0)18 299 2095 [email protected]
AUTHeR 2015AUTHeR 2014
Psychology Social Work Consumer SciencesConsumer Sciences
Mono Research
RESEARCH
(Mono-, multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary)
PURE; Stigma; Homelessness and poverty; FORT3, Ageing and gerontology; CON-WELL; Food
security, Health systems.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
WINLab; FLAGH, Holding Hands, LIFEPLAN®, DROP, Glass
recycling project.
TEACHING-LEARNINGUndergraduate: WVGW221.
Postgraduate: MHSc in Transdisciplinary Health
Promotion, Gerontology; MAPP; Interprofessional education.
Research AUTHeR Office
Mono Research
Mono Research
Mono Research
Mono Research
Occupational Health
Mono- and interdisciplinary researchMono- and interdisciplinary research
Transdisciplinary team
Intersectoral
Partners
Transdisciplinary team
Intersectoral
Partners
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RESEARCH UNIT
Prof Willemien du Plessis
IntroductionThe year 2015 was the 50th anniversary of the Faculty of Law on the Potchefstroom Campus and the 17th anniversary of the research unit Development in the South African Constitutional State.
Over the years, both the faculty and the unit have carved out a special niche for themselves in the national and international legal landscape, with the unit specifically addressing issues pertaining to developmental problems in South Africa, the Southern African region and the rest of Africa.
Research highlights In celebration of the two anniversaries reached in 2015 (the faculty’s and our own), the research unit organised a conference highlighting different research projects in progress. No fewer than 53 speakers participated, dealing with topics such as finance and trade, the environment, labour, child and family law, new thinking in law, energy law, land and agriculture and public international law.
The Faculty’s Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal (PER/PELJ) entered its 19th year of publication and, fittingly, received international recognition. It is now listed on the IBI list of accredited journals with an IBI factor of 2,5. Prof Leonie Stander acted as guest editor for a special edition of PER to celebrate the 50th birthday of the faculty, and 25 faculty members published articles and notes in this special edition showcasing the work of the research unit.
Skills baseDuring the May and September 2015 graduation ceremonies, 50 LLM degrees and two doctoral degrees were awarded. Among the graduates were the research unit’s own Dr Monray Botha, who has been appointed head of the Department of Mercantile Law at the University of Pretoria from 2016, and Ms Allison Geduld, who received her LLM degree cum laude.
Dr Paola Villavicencio Calzadilla from Columbia and Dr Jean Zikamahabari from Rwanda joined the unit as postdoctoral fellows in 2015, while Dr Odile Lim Tung from Mauritius completed her postdoctoral fellowship. During her time with us, she published extensively on the law pertaining to genetically modified organisms, food labelling and organic food.
Prof Louis Kotzé was again invited as a visiting professor to teach an LLM module on African Energy, Climate
and Environmental Law at the University of Malta. This is a joint LLM between the University of Malta and the University of Leuven.
Research outputThe unit’s members published and edited an impressive array of books, one of which was the first of its kind in South Africa. This was the monumental work on Environmental Law and Local Government that Prof Anél du Plessis edited with Juta.
Prof Francois Venter published Constitutionalism and Religion with Edward Elgar, as well as a textbook on Fundamental Rights with Juta. Prof Louis Kotzé and Prof Anna Grear of the Cardiff Law School in the United Kingdom published a Research Handbook on Human Rights and the Environment (Edward Elgar).
In addition, Dr Odile J Lim Tung and Prof Willemien du Plessis published books within the Wolters Kluwer Encyclopaedia of Laws series. Dr Lim Tung published a book on environmental law in Mauritius and Prof du Plessis on energy law in South Africa. Together with Paul Martin of the University of New England in Australia, and others, Prof du Plessis published The search for environmental justice (Edward Elgar).
Members of the research unit also published 17 chapters in books. Several colleagues contributed to a book honouring the work of Prof Lourens du Plessis, currently an extraordinary professor in the Faculty of Law. The book, Memory and Meaning: Lourens du Plessis and the Haunting of Justice, was published by LexisNexis.
Partnerships and collaboration The law colleagues of the three campuses attended a joint intercampus research day on new developments in law in Magaliesburg on 12 June 2015. They discussed topics relating to the role of the courts, land and custom, public international law, environmental law, legal education and mercantile law.
The unit is a key partner in the Law and Development (Edolad) project involving the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, the University of Oslo in Norway, the University of Tartu in Estonia and the University of Deusto in Spain.
The partners, who will be offering a joint doctoral degree in law and development, conducted the first
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research methodology workshop at Tilburg University in 2015. Mr Hennie Coetzee of the NWU attended the three-month workshop and Prof Elmien du Plessis and Dr Anél Gildenhuys delivered lectures.
Prof Louis Kotzé organised a highly successful water security symposium with the theme on the north-south dimensions of water security. It was a collaborative symposium with the Faculty of Law of the University of Eastern Finland.
The collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation resulted in two highly successful events.
The first, under the leadership of Prof Elmien du Plessis, dealt with “Critical law and governance perspectives on food security in South Africa: Exploring the role of policy-makers and other stakeholders”. The second event, which Prof Anel du Plessis coordinated, was a training session for local government officials on the role of municipal bylaws in good local governance in South Africa.
Ms Rolien Roos, Prof Stephen de la Harpe and an all-female student team of the faculties of Law from the Potchefstroom and Mafikeng campuses attended the annual summer school of the NWU and Tilburg University. This was held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil as the partnership was joined by a third partner, Fundaçāo Getúlio Vargas, a private university in Brazil.
Recognition and awardsProf Leonie Stander received an award from the Hugo de Groot Association for the best contribution in Afrikaans in the 2014 Tydskrif vir Hedendaags Romeins-Hollandse Reg (Journal of Contemporary Roman Dutch Law).
Prof Nicola Smit and Prof Christa Rautenbach both received a C1 rating from the National Research Foundation.
Ms Rene Koraan again received the best lecturer award from Rapport newspaper, and two other lecturers, Prof Henk Kloppers and Ms Allison Geduld, received NWU awards for teaching excellence. Ms Angela van der Berg received the Vice-Chancellor Medal for the best master’s student in the Faculty of Law.
Mr Philip Bothma was chosen as one of the top four first-time presenters at the South Africa Law Teachers Conference in Durban. Prof Christa Rautenbach was appointed Humboldt Ambassador Scientist and President for the North-Eastern Chapter of the Alexander von Humboldt Association, South Africa.
Prof Elmien du Plessis received a Thuthuka NRF grant in 2015 and Prof Willemien du Plessis an NRF IRG - UK/South Africa Researcher Links Grants for Travel and Hosting of Scientific Events. She will host an event with the University of Edinburgh in 2016.
ConclusionThe work of the research unit is well under way. As a result of various strategic sessions and an external review of the research unit in 2013, we have decided to reorganise the projects within the unit into four main projects: those projects that deals with humans, the environment, finance and practice. After 17 years, we are also considering renaming the unit to celebrate all our initiatives, new and existing.
PROF WILLEMIEN DU PLESSISDirector: Development in the South African Constitutional State+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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RESEARCH UNIT
PROF JP ROSSOUW
IntroductionDue to the importance of correctly implementing human rights in the current South African and international community, the Edu-HRight Research Unit considers it crucial to publish in high-impact scholarly journals and popular publications.
Secondly, we regard it as imperative for experts in various fields in the unit to disseminate our findings and express our views in a variety of settings. This includes national and international conferences, workshops, NWU seminars, interviews with journalists, the social media and special meetings for stakeholders or interest groups. In addition, the unit seeks to broaden our international footprint, carry out quality postgraduate supervision, find funding opportunities and make optimal use of available funding.
The strength of the unit lies in the diversity of our research interests, combined with the fact that the core of the unit membership consists of highly skilled, experienced scholars of national and international stature. Through extensive deliberations among our project groups, the unit has developed a central research focus, a structure and a set of objectives that every member can incorporate into his or her specific research focus. A unique amalgamation has thus been created from a range of research foci.
Research highlights2015 marked the launch of a scholarly journal in the faculty, Transformation in Higher Education. Prof Petro du Preez was appointed the permanent editor, with Dr Shan Simmonds as associate editor. Both are members of the unit. Prof JP Rossouw, director, delivered the keynote address at the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society conference in Bulgaria, while Prof Johan Botha was invited as guest lecturer at Crete University. From her base at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Prof Cornelia Roux, research professor, conducted an extensive international survey in six countries.
The unit had four NRF-rated researchers during the year: Prof Cornelia Roux, Prof Charl Wolhuter, Prof Petro du Preez and Prof JP Rossouw. Two research fellows with temporary appointments, Prof Hannes van der Walt and Prof Johan Beckmann, are also NRF rated.
Skills baseIn 2015, the unit benefited from the skills of 15 permanent academics, three part-time academics, two
postdoctoral fellows, and four temporary research fellows. The majority of the members are established academics who are acknowledged nationally and internationally, and have an extensive network of international collaborators, all making valuable contributions to the outputs and functioning of the unit.
In 2015, 18 master’s students and 17 doctoral students were enrolled with the unit. Four of these master’s students and two of the doctoral students graduated during the year, supervised by unit members.
Publication output A comparison of the 2014 and 2015 statistics on research outputs is challenging, seeing that the basis for the research output units per permanent academic staff member (ROU/PAS) for 2015 is the HEMIS data of each staff member. This calculation, which takes into consideration the teaching load of staff members, resulted in a factor of 7,81 full-time researcher equivalents for the 15 permanent and part-time staff members. The ROU/PAS mark of 3,468 was thus reached for 2015.
The research output units for 2014 and 2015 can be directly compared. In 2014, we published 27,91 research output units and reached a total of 27,09 in 2015. In 2014 and before, five book chapters were added to the statistics, but a decision was taken not to count the eight chapters published during 2015. These chapters will only be added once they have been approved for subsidy by the DHET.
In 2014, the unit published 21 articles in accredited journals while 30 articles were published in 2015. Twenty conference papers were presented internationally and 18 nationally in 2014, while 16 conference papers were presented internationally and 12 nationally in 2015.
Partnerships and collaborationPartnerships and collaboration are one of the unit’s priorities. The unit benefits from the inward contribution of external collaborators towards our goals, and also makes an outward contribution through the involvement of unit members in research activities nationally and abroad. Being internationally relevant and competent is high on the agenda of the unit and so we have established a wide network of 11 national and 19 international scholars.
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As part of the outward movement of the unit, a special interest group under the name Human Rights Education Research was established in 2015 at the SAERA annual conference in Bloemfontein, led by Prof Cornelia Roux. Dr Annamagriet de Wet initiated a special interest group under the name Research in Education Law.
Recognition and awardsThe unit is grateful for the different forms of recognition received in the past two years.
The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan offered a visiting research fellowship to Prof Petro du Preez. She worked at the Institute of Human Rights of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences for three months. Prof JP Rossouw was appointed as an associate fellow of the Centre for Law, Society and Popular Culture at the Westminster University Law School in London.
Special projectsMost of the research activities in the unit are project based. Within the existing five project groups, several subprojects have been established, and most research activities aim at reaching the goals of such subprojects. All postgraduate studies on master’s and PhD level, as well as the activities of the postdoctoral fellows, are focused on new developments within the existing projects. Funding is made available wherever possible to develop new projects. Projects within the unit range from large-scale international projects to more localised projects.
The findings of several human rights-related research projects directly influence the lives of both children and adults. Prof Ferdinand Potgieter, Prof Charl Wolhuter and Prof Hannes van der Walt are currently working on a large-scale international survey on religious tolerance which includes scholars from five countries.
Unit funding enables Dr Shan Simmonds to conduct empirical research in the project “Child trafficking
and the curriculum in South Africa”. From a human rights perspective, it investigates the world-wide phenomenon of child trafficking. Another project run with unit funding is the subproject, “Achieving social justice praxis in BEdHons postgraduate supervision and support: a legal perspective”. This was developed by Prof Willie van Vollenhoven (grant holder), Dr Margaret Rossouw, Dr Idilette van Deventer and Ms Cecile Eloff.
In preparation for a postdoctoral fellowship which commences in 2016, a research fellow Dr Ewelina Niemczyk is developing a noteworthy project under the title, ”Research education: Developing globally competent researchers for international and interdisciplinary research”.
ConclusionThe members of Edu-HRight work towards a sustainable research culture and always strive for increased scholarly outputs and international competence. Due to the specific skills sets of individual scholars, the unit is a dynamic entity that is continually considering new initiatives and developments.
One challenge that was experienced during 2015 was the restructuring process undertaken to improve the way we operate. I pay tribute to the vice-rector, dean, research professor, permanent and temporary staff members, the Faculty of Education Research Administration (FERA) administrative staff and all collaborators for their commitment and support. All made valuable contributions towards the unit’s goal of making a difference in the lives of people.
PROF JP ROSSOUW Director: Edu-HRight Research Unit+27(0)18 299 [email protected]
37
RESEARCH UNIT
Prof Hugo W Huisman
IntroductionGlobally, elevated blood pressure (hypertension) is the most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and death. This has become particularly applicable to sub-Saharan Africa, where hypertension is emerging as a major health threat, overburdening healthcare resources in addition to infectious diseases.
The Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART) is a research unit focused on combating this threat with novel, cutting-edge research, including the early identification of risk factors to curb the progression to cardiovascular disease through preventive strategies.
HART is fast becoming the premier centre on hypertension in sub-Saharan Africa – recognised nationally and inter-nationally. The research momentum of the group is evidenced by significant research funding, including hosting a South African Research Chair (SARChI) and establishing a new Medical Research Council (MRC) Extra-mural Unit in HART during 2015.
HART has a well-equipped hypertension research and training clinic at its disposal, with state-of-the-art apparatus and a laboratory for advanced biochemical analyses.
Research highlightsA major highlight in the structure of HART was its upgrade from a focus area to a unit, on the strength of the consistently impactful research output over the past years. In addition, the MRC Extra-mural Unit on Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease began operating in 2015, with Prof Alta Schutte as unit director.
Apart from several small, focused research projects that were running in 2015, a significant milestone was the completion of the data collection for the South African leg of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. This has provided us with one of the first studies in Africa with data tracking cardiovascular disease progression, morbidity and mortality over 10 years in a large black cohort.
Furthermore, HART and its collaborative networks achieved very good progress in the African Prospective Study on Early Detection and Identification of Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension (African-PREDICT), completing data collection of 800 of the planned 1 200 young black and white participants.
Skills baseThe main asset of the unit is the commitment of its members. HART consists of 11 academic staff members, well balanced between senior scientists and young dynamic members (three of whom were appointed in 2015). These members have extensive national and international collaborative networks, playing a major role in the high-level output of the group.
A strength of HART is that 10 of its 11 academic staff members have doctoral degrees, whereas five of the more senior members have an NRF rating. Several of the younger members have applied for NRF rating or plan to do so in the near future. HART also enjoys the expertise of three appointed extraordinary professors from the UK and Germany, and two postdoctoral fellows from the UK.
In addition, the unit relies on the contributions of one emeritus professor and eight full-time and temporary, part-time support staff members.
During 2015, nine MSc students and 12 PhD students were registered, while five MSc and four PhD students graduated.
Publication outputIn 2015 HART published 33 articles in peer-reviewed international journals, with 23 in journals with an impact factor exceeding 2,5, with a mean impact factor of 4,2. The article equivalent per academic staff member for 2015 was 1,2.
Partnerships and collaborationWithin HART different clusters of partnerships and collaboration exist. Prof Leoné Malan has been interacting mostly with Prof Mark Hamer (University Loughborough, UK); Prof Roland von Känel (Clinic Barmelweid, Bern, Switzerland), Prof Tjalf Ziemssen and Prof Manja Reimann (Dresden, Germany) and Prof Ala’a Alkerwi (Luxembourg).
Active collaboration was evident in the supervision of three PhD students and co-authoring of five manuscripts, with two as first authors. The wealth of biological and psychosocial data from the SABPA study was scrutinised to support the development of a prediction model of poor cardiovascular functioning.
Dr Wayne Smith collaborates with Prof Konstantin Kotliar (FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Germany).
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This collaboration emerged after a four-month postdoctoral visit by Dr Smith to the laboratory of Prof Kotliar. They explore the mathematical applications of dynamic retinal vessel analysis within various studies. Dr Wayne Smith also collaborates with Dr Walthard Vilser from Imedos Systems UG in Germany, to investigate ethnic differences in retinal vessel analysis parameters.
Dr Ruan Kruger initiated international collaborations that stemmed from his PhD and postdoctoral work with Prof Michael Olsen (Odense University Hospital, Denmark) and Prof Giovanni de Simone (Frederico II University Hospital, Naples, Italy). The focus of the work with Prof Olsen is primarily on biomarkers in cardiovascular disease development and cardiac valve pathology, from which five research articles have already been published.
Dr Kruger also collaborated with Professor Enrico Agabiti-Rosei (University of Brescia, Italy). This collabora tion resulted in the production of state-of-the-art echocardiography data used in the development of research articles with Prof De Simone.
Prof Carla Fourie is the project leader for the NWU leg of the EndoAfrica study (consortium initiated between Stellenbosch University, the Medical University of Graz in Austria and Hasselt University in Belgium). The study is the first of its kind to evaluate endothelial dysfunction in HIV-infected populations in South Africa.
Prof Fourie is also involved in the Ndlovu Care Group in South Africa, with research driven by Prof Rick Grobbee from the Julius Centre in Utrecht in the Netherlands. This cohort study will investigate the pathogenesis in the interaction between HIV, its treatment and cardiovascular disease.
Prof Alta Schutte fostered networks within the African-PREDICT study, but also in larger consortia. These include research and position papers on hypertension with the Global Burden of Disease study (Washington, USA), World Health Organisation’s SAGE study (Prof Paul Kowal
and Prof Karen Charlton, Australia), NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (Prof Majid Ezzati, UK), International Database of Central Arterial properties for Risk Stratification (Prof Jan Staessen, Belgium), Pan-African Society of Cardiology (Prof Bongani Mayosi, Cape Town) and the Lancet Commission on Hypertension (Associate Editor, Stuart Spencer, UK).
Recognition and awardsSome members received recognition for their work during 2015.
Prof Alta Schutte received the Excellence in Physiology Research Award from the Physiological Society of Southern Africa. She was also the recipient of the inter-national TWAS-ROSSA Regional Young Scientists Prize awarded by the World Academy of Science for the Region of Sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa.
Prof Leoné Malan received the Fundisa Hall of Fame award for Research Excellence in Nursing.
ConclusionWith dynamic and committed scientists, as well as a specific focus on alleviating hypertension in Africa, HART has been able to establish itself as one of the most prominent hypertension research centres on the continent. We strive to continue expanding the impact of our work in our country, the continent and globally.
PROF HUGO W HUISMANDirector: Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART)+27 (0)18 [email protected]
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RESEARCH UNIT
Prof Melville Saayman
Introduction The TREES journey started more than 20 years ago with a gradual build-up to 2006, when we became an NRF research niche and the only tourism research entity in the country, and 2007, when we were also awarded niche status by the North-West University.
In 2011, we were awarded the status of a research focus area and changed our name from Socio-Economic Impact of Tourism or SEIT to Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society (TREES). After an external evaluation, with a very good review in 2014, we were awarded the status of research unit in 2015.
TREES has a diverse base of expertise, an extensive national and international network, many interdisciplinary partners and a prominent national and international profile. We have an excellent track record of projects completed and an impressive list of publications. Not only is the per capita output at TREES much higher than the average of the university, we also have the most NRF-rated tourism staff in South Africa.
Research highlightsIn 2015, the largest international project in the history of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences on the Potchefstroom Campus was awarded to TREES. This was for research on scuba diving tourism, funded by the European Union.
Another highlight is that our article output has increased significantly over the past three years. All our researchers published articles during 2015, boosting total research output per researcher to 3,9.
In all, TREES undertook 30 projects and 38 surveys during 2015, and administered approximately 18 000 questionnaires.
Skills baseTREES consists of a small but very productive group of researchers, namely six full professors, two associate professors, two senior lecturers and two postdoctoral fellows from Italy and Vietnam. Nearly 50% of the researchers are NRF rated.
A total of 23 students were enrolled for master’s and doctoral studies, and 15 students submitted their studies for examination in 2015. We also appointed four master’s students for internships funded by the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sports SETA.
Research outputThere has been a significant increase of approximately 25% in article output since 2012, excluding book and conference proceedings. TREES maintained a very good output rate in 2015 with 43 papers published, of which 22 were in international journals. Some of these papers were published in collaboration with other research entities at the NWU, as well as with various national and international collaborators. In all, 37 papers were presented at national and international conferences.
Prof Melville Saayman co-edited and co-published a book titled: Collaboration in Tourism-related businesses and destinations: A handbook. West Yorkshire.: Emerald. In the Mountain Tourism Book, he, Prof Peet van der Merwe and Ms Linda-Louise Geldenhuys co-published a chapter titled: Setting the table for mountain tourism: The case of a South African National Park. Similarly, in The social side of tourism: The interface between tourism, society and the environment. Prof Martinette Kruger, Prof Melville Saayman and Prof Peet van der Merwe co-published a chapter titled: Residents’ perceptions regarding an urban national park in South Africa.
The table below summarises TREES’ research performance from 2012 to 2015.
INDICATOR 2012 2013 2014 2015
Submitted articles 31 30 31 30
Accepted articles 16 25 30
Book contributions 2 1 1 3
Conference proceedings 2 7 5 3
Total number of peer-reviewed articles published
Z International Z National
31
238
30
228
46
389
43
2211
Peer-reviewed published articles in accredited journals 24 26 44 41
Peer-reviewed published articles in non-accredited journals 7 4 2 2
Total equivalent 20,22 3,73 39,1 37
Conference presentations 31 50 44 37
Number of industry-based research reports 41 33 32 30
Number of staff with NRF ratings 3 4 4 5
Ratio of researchers to article output 1:3 1:3 1:3 1:3
Total research output (M+PhD+AE’s) - - - 67
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Partnerships and collaborationThe involvement of distinguished professors makes an important contribution to the total overall output of TREES. The main advantage lies in the interaction between these recognised scholars and staff members, along with the training and workshops they offer and their knowledge on a variety of research issues. TREES collaborated with a wide range of tourism academics and persons from the public sector in 2015:
Z CATHSSETA provided support for student bursaries and internships.
Z Memoranda of understanding with various international universities facilitated collaborative research and staff and student exchange. These universities are Saint Petersburg State University in Russia, University of Applied Sciences in Germany, University of Angers in France, University of Cyril in Slovakia, and University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland. Memoranda of understanding were in place with the North West Parks and Tourism Board, Big Concerts, the Northern Cape Tourism Department, SANParks and South African Tourism.
Z Memoranda of understanding were in place with major festivals, namely Innibos Festival, Wacky Wine Weekend − Robertson Wine Route, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Diamond and Dorings and Standard Bank Joy of Jazz.
Z Economic impact and market profile surveys were conducted at four major sport events, namely the Two Oceans Marathon, Cape Argus Cycle Tour, the Comrades Marathon and KDC.
Z Socio-demographic profile and market analysis surveys were conducted at Decorex, Rage Festival and the Good Food and Wine Show, to name but a few.
Recognition, awards and keynote addressesFor the third consecutive year, Prof Martinette Kruger was named the best junior researcher on all three campuses
and was promoted to full professor. Prof Melville Saayman was, for the third time, named the most productive senior researcher of the NWU. TREES came second overall as the most productive research entity.
Ms Esmarie Myburgh was the Potchefstroom Campus’s best master’s student for 2014, and was also awarded the Chancellor’s Medal.
Dr Karin Botha and Dr Pierre-André Viviers were promoted to associate professors, and Dr Marco Scholtz to senior lecturer. Honours student Anzelle Vorstman won the IMEX Future Forum, which is an international award.
A short course in wildlife management in collaboration with Prof Wouter van Hoven was approved and 10 classes were presented. An international workshop with extraordinary professors Prof Muzzo Uysal and research fellow Dr Gang Li was held in March 2015.
ConclusionThe past year has been an exciting one at TREES. We have lived and shared our vision of becoming an internationally recognised centre of excellence in tourism research, economic environs and society, and identified the critical success factors to achieve this vision.
Furthermore, we have formulated action plans to assist in this and we are seeing the growth that was expected to flow from this strategy. The impact and quality of research outputs are increasing, and the team will continue to strive for a further increase in outputs. TREES has established itself as a leader in the field of tourism research institutions in South Africa and is definitely one of the most productive, given its size, in the world.
PROF MELVILLE SAAYMANDirector: TREES+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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RESEARCH UNIT
Prof Magda Huisman
IntroductionThe members of the Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics (UBMI) do basic and applied research in the statistical, mathematical, computer and information systems sciences, as well as (financial) industry-directed research in risk and reward analysis. Through the directed programmes in the Centre for BMI (CBMI), the focus is on delivering master’s and doctoral graduates to the financial industry. A significant number of esteemed international experts collaborate in our research and postgraduate training programmes on the strength of the international visibility of the unit, our contributions to basic and applied research and our link to the prestigious CBMI.
Research highlightsOne of the highlights of 2015 was the appointment of unit member, Mr Robert Maxwell as the chairperson of the Actuarial Society of South Africa’s Research Committee.
From 23 to 26 September 2015, we held the third successful NWU-PUK Mathematical Modelling Workshop, which South African and international researchers attended. The workshop was partially funded by the Wits Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, of which the NWU is part.
The unit had extensive international and national visibility. In 2015 our members presented 35 research talks at international conferences and 27 at national conferences. Seven collaborators from the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece and the USA visited the unit for research activities.
Skills base In total, 49 permanent academic staff members and 10 extraordinary researchers, including three postdoctoral fellows, were involved in the research and postgraduate training of the unit in 2015. Eight of our researchers were NRF rated, three with B ratings, three with C ratings and two with Y ratings. During the NRF re-evaluation process in 2015, Prof Hennie Kruger improved his C3 rating to C2.
Altogether 76% of the unit’s members have PhD degrees, and eight more were enrolled for their own doctoral studies in 2015. Dr Erica Fourie, a permanent staff member at Statistical Consultation Services, completed her PhD study successfully.
Eighty master’s students, 12 more than in 2014, were registered for our programmes in 2015, of whom 38
studied in the industry-directed programmes of the CBMI. Master’s degrees were conferred upon a total of 38 students, representing around 56% of the students enrolled in 2014. On doctoral level, 25 students were enrolled and four received their PhD degrees.
Publication outputsThe appointment of postdoctoral students and extraordinary academics had an extremely positive influence on the quality and quantity of our research outputs in 2015.
The members of the UBMI authored or co-authored 43 papers in accredited journals, 79% of which were in international journals. The team also published one paper in a non-accredited journal and 25 papers in peer-reviewed conference proceedings and book chapters, contributing 39,1 article equivalents.
This should rise to around 41,4 article equivalents if other research outputs for the year are taken into account. Specifically, a further five journal papers were published electronically (with DOI numbers) in accredited journals and may possibly be published in 2016, and members were involved as co-authors in 11 research papers in the disciplines of other focus areas. This contributed 2,3 article equivalents to the credit of the unit.
Consequently, the unit continued on the positive trend of the past few years: article equivalents have risen from 30,21 in 2013 to 32,95 in 2014 and 41,4 in 2015.
The article output in 2015 reflects 0,7 AE per member if all 59 members are included in the calculation. When only primary members are included, a more favourable figure of 1,18 AE per primary member is obtained. This compares well with the 0,5 article equivalents per capita for mathematics in the USA.
This strong performance is likely to continue in 2016. Considering the quality of the 41 internal technical reports published in 2015, for example, we are confident that at least 65% will result in journal articles, either published or accepted during 2016.
RecognitionMembers of the UBMI have an important influence on the academic society of South Africa and serve on most of academic society and journal boards relevant to the disciplines of the unit:
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Z Prof Louis Labuschagne and Prof Sanne ter Horst are the president and secretary, respectively, of the South African Mathematical Society (SAMS).
Z Prof Hennie Kruger and Dr Tiny du Toit are the president and treasurer of the Operations Research Society of South Africa (ORSSA).
Z Prof James Allison is vice-president of the South African Statistical Association (SASA) and Dr Leonard Santana is a member of the board.
Z Robert Maxwell is the chairperson of the Actuarial Society of South Africa’s Research Committee.
Z Four members serve on the editorial boards of South African journals. They are Prof Hennie Kruger (editor of the Proceedings of the ORSSA conferences), Prof Sanne ter Horst (associate editor of Quaestiones Mathematicae and also Complex Analysis and Operator Theory), Prof James Allison (editor of the South African Statistical Journal) and Dr Leonard Santana (editor of the Proceedings of the SASA conferences).
Z Two members of the unit serve on international boards. Prof Ilse Schoeman is a member of the editorial board of the British Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science and Prof Andre Ran is chair of the Koninklike Wiskundig Genootschap van Nederland.
Partnerships and collaboration Individual collaboration is still the most effective instrument for successful internationalisation and quality
assurance of our research. In 2015, for instance, our collaborators from abroad co-authored 12 articles of the unit.
Over the years, some of these individual collaborations have been formalised and re-formalised by mutual agreement. In 2015, this took the form of four extraordinary professorships: Prof David Mason, Prof Simos Meintanis and Prof Noël Veraverbeke were reappointed as extraordinary professors, and Prof Amanda Lourens was appointed.
ConclusionThe unit values the long-term partnerships with Telkom SA, SAS (business analytics software specialists) and ABSA Bank through which we benefit in several ways. We want to acknowledge the important role these partners play in attracting excellent students to our postgraduate programmes and delivering excellent graduates to industry and the academic society.
PROF HM (MAGDA) HUISMANDirector: Unit for Business Mathematics and Informatics+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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RESEARCH UNIT
Prof Liezl van Dyk
IntroductionThe Unit for Energy and Technology Systems strives to be recognised as a centre of expertise for research in and development of energy and technology systems that are relevant to society, the environment and the country.
Located within the Faculty of Engineering on the Potchefstroom Campus, we address national strategic goals and contemporary issues through engineering solutions that meet industry needs, while maintaining a balance between basic and applied research.
Within the context of this broad vision, focus is accomplished by means of faculty-supported focus groups. Many of these groups are primarily concentrated on energy systems, which explains why the unit was until recently known as the Unit for Energy Systems. For example, the faculty hosts three SARChI chairs in nuclear energy, biofuels and coal research, as well as the Hydrogen Energy-hosted entity and other groups such as Thermal Fluid-Systems, Energy Management and Smart Power Systems.
However, the number of focus groups that do not relate exclusively to energy systems has increased to the point where a new name and identity for the unit was called for. Thus, in 2015, the Unit for Energy Systems was changed to the Unit for Energy and Technology Systems (UETS) to include these groups. Among them are Intelligent Systems, Telecommunications and ICT (Telenet), Dynamic modelling and control of large-scale Industrial Systems (McTronX), Aircraft Development, Advanced Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering and Water Research.
In short, the focus of this unit as a whole is to address existing and future problems and challenges of society and industry through the systemic and systematic integration of energy, technology, data and other resources.
Research highlightsThe unit continued to expand its national and international involvement. Members of UETS chair the organising committees of three local academic conferences and our researchers received best paper awards at many conferences and institutions during 2015, including the best paper award from the SA Institute of Electrical Engineers.
Two of the three top NWU authors, based on Field-Weighed Citation Impact for the period 2010-2015, were from the Unit for Energy and Technology Systems.
Research outputThe total research productivity of each permanent staff member was 2,97 research output units (ROUs), making the unit one of the most productive at the NWU.
As indicated in the graph, the unit has for four consecutive years shown steady growth in research output units in terms of the number of journal articles and conference article equivalents, as well as graduates. About 50% of all academic papers were published in journals with impact factors exceeding 1,2. The average impact factor equals 1,98, with the highest two factors equalling 3,63 and 6,19 respectively.
The research productivity and reputation of the two research chairs within the School for Chemical Engineering have grown to the point where they have expressed their intention of applying to become a centre of excellence.
Skills baseThe size of the unit remained stable and in 2015 comprised 71 academic staff members – 46 with PhDs. The number of NRF-rated researchers increased to 11 (15,7%) in 2015. The total number of postdoctoral fellows increased from nine in 2014 to 15 in 2015, many of whom are funded by individual focus groups.
Partnerships and collaborationClose ties with key industry role players such as Sasol, Eskom, Denel Aviation, Telkom and SAPPI, as well as with the main research funding bodies, ensure the relevance and sustainability of research programmes. The faculty’s Innovation Support Office is pivotal in understanding, negotiating and applying the rules of the new DTI-administered Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP).
There is an increasing level of participation among researchers of the unit in programmes of the Technology Innovation Association (TIA), the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR), the Cluster Development Programme (CDP) and others.
In 2015, collaborative research outputs and/or student exchange transpired between researchers of UETS and other international higher education institutions. Our main collaborators were Louisiana State University, Texas A&M, the University of North Dakota and Penn-State University in the United States; the University
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of Queensland in Australia, the University of Ghent in Belgium, Technical University of Twente in the Netherlands, Freiberg University, Zittau/Görlich University of Applied Science and Technical University Dresden in Germany and Imperial College, London.
Recognition and awardsThe unit received a number of industry awards and other forms of recognition in 2015. A team from the Intelligent Systems group was a finalist in the MTN Machine-to-Machine competition, and the gliders developed by the Aircraft Development Research group achieved first, second and third positions at the 18th FAI European Gliding competition.
Dr Dawid Serfontein from the Nuclear Engineering group was awarded a NWU Spokesperson of the Year Award based on the television debates on nuclear energy in which he participated.
The NWU Solar Car team and our futuristic mobile, the Sirius X25, made history by becoming the first African
team ever to cross the finishing line of the World Solar Challenge.
ConclusionThe unit is living up to its mission to address national strategic goals and contemporary issues through engineering solutions. Our already strong academic and industry reputation in energy and technology systems is gradually growing. Building on this foundation, focus groups of the Faculty of Engineering will be capacitated in the years to come to excel, with the possibility of becoming research entities in their own right.
PROF LIEZL VAN DYKDirector: Unit for Energy and Technology Systems (UETS)+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
Research output units (ROUs) per academic staff member
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
02012 2013 2014 2015
Rese
arch
out
put
unit
s pe
r ac
adem
ic s
taff
mem
ber
Conferences (PEs)
Journals (PEs)
PhD
MEng (C-option)
MEng (B-option)
MEng (A-option)
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RESEARCH UNIT
Prof Nico Smit
IntroductionCreating an environment that safeguards nature while promoting the social and economic development of the country’s people is the focus of the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management (UESM).
Located at the Potchefstroom Campus, the unit supports the optimal utilisation of natural resources within the limitations of the resilience of ecosystems. To ensure long-term relevance, the UESM seeks a balance between fundamental and applied, market-oriented research.
Currently our research is conducted in eight subpro-grammes: Climate Change, Air Quality and Impacts, Aquatic Ecosystem Health, Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology, Ecological Interactions and Ecosystem Resilience, Environmental Management, Integrated Pest Manage-ment, Geology- Soil Science and Spatial Planning and Implementation.
Research highlightsDuring 2015, 42 researchers from the unit presented their research at international conferences in over 29 countries, including Belgium, Norway, Canada, Finland, Vietnam, Italy, Japan, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Kenya, the UK and the USA. As a result, our researchers were at the forefront of the key environmental issues of the day, contributing problem-solving ideas and novel research.
The international profile of the unit increased markedly through the appointment of seven extraordinary associate and full professors from Australia, Belgium, Japan, Norway, the UK and the USA.
Five postdoctoral fellows completed their fellowships at the UESM in 2015 and eight joined our ranks, bringing the number of postdoctoral fellows to 18. The new postdoctoral fellows represent a good mix of national and international researchers, the latter being from the Czech Republic, Iran and Nigeria.
The unit still has the highest number of NRF-rated researchers in a single research unit of the NWU. Among the 23 rated researchers are two with B ratings, one of whom, Prof Johnnie van den Berg, improved his rating for the period 2015 to 2020 from a B3 to B2, following a successful application for re-evaluation in 2014. Prof Louis du Preez was also successful with his re-evaluation as a C1-rated researcher.
Skills baseThe UESM had another good year for postgraduate completions, with 55 master’s and 14 PhD students graduating in 2015. For the second year in a row, the unit had more than 300 registered postgraduate students, comprising 209 master’s and 100 PhD students.
Publication outputOur subsidised publication outputs have been on an upwards curve for the past six years. In 2015 we built on the excellent output of 2014 (70,48 publication units), increasing this by more than 20% to 87.19 units. As a result the average publication unit per full-time academic staff member increased for the first time to over two publication points. This is more than double the required target of one for members of an NWU research unit.
The total impact (research influence) of the unit’s published research is increasing and the 2015 total impact factor of all the ISI-indexed publications was 272,971. This resulted in an average impact factor per publication of 1,76 (range of 0,073 to 6,204). According to the ISI journal citation report of 2014, the median impact factor for the 223 journals in environmental sciences was 1,606; thus the unit is already showing a higher-than-average level of international research influence.
Partnerships and collaborationThe research unit played an active role in environmental and special planning activities in the local municipality and province. During 2015 a number of our researchers contributed to the North West Province Environmental Outlook Report, North West Province Biodiversity Conservation Assessment Technical Report and the North West Environmental Implementation Plan.
Prof Francois Retief, previously the director of the School of Geo and Spatial Sciences, was appointed as a full professor in the UESM with the focus on developing and implementing the taught master’s programmes.
This entails the management of the current Master in Environmental Management, as well as the implementa-tion of a further three taught master’s degrees. The first of these, in collaboration with the Department of Water and Sanitation and the Water Research Commission, is a Master in Environmental Management specialising in
46
environmental water require ments and will enrol its first 15 students in 2016.
A capacity-building course on synthetic biology was presented in Potchefstroom during August 2015 in collaboration with Norway’s GenØk-Centre for Biosafety and NIBIO/Bioforsk. The course focused on biosafety and the contribution of synthetic biology in addressing societal challenges. Forty participants from 13 countries attended lectures by researchers from South Africa, Malaysia, Brazil and Norway.
Recognition and awardsMany staff members, postdoctoral fellows and post-graduate students from UESM received national or international awards during 2015. They include:
Z Prof Francois Retief and Prof Angus Morrison-Saunders, who received the 2015 Outstanding Service to the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) award for their services as co-editors of the Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal (IAPA) journal and their role in establishing it as one of the top journals in its field. They received the award in April 2015 at IAIA’s 35th annual conference in Florence, Italy.
Z Prof Henk Bouwman and Prof Klaus Kellner, who the NWU recognised for their exceptional leadership in international research and advisory organisations, institutions and committees of importance. Both served on various United Nations and other international scientific and technical advisory committees.
Z Edward Netherlands, who received the 2015 S2A3 medal as the best master’s student at the NWU, as well as the Juinior Neitz medal from the Parasitological Society of Southern Africa (PARSA) for the best MSc in parasitology at any university in South Africa. Kyle McHugh received the Senior Neitz medal from
PARSA for the best PhD in parasitology at any university in South Africa.
Special projectsThe NWU Environmental Impact Assessment Pro-bono office enabled honours students in environmental manage ment to gain practical experience doing real-life environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for municipalities in the province. The Pro-bono office also offered specialist training to provincial officials responsible for water and waste management. During 2015, the Pro-bono office moved to the Department of Environmental Affairs’ offices in Pretoria.
Members of the UESM participated in a number of other community engagement projects, including the hosting of a precision farming day and an international fish migration day.
ConclusionThe unit went from strength to strength during 2015, producing the best research output to date. In addition, its total research income (second, third and fifth stream) increased to R29 655 254 for 2015 (from R18 343 852 for 2014). The additional research funding, increase in extraordinary appointments, postdoctoral fellowships and significant growth in PhD and MSc graduates, indicate that the UESM is far from reaching its full capabilities in terms of outputs and is looking forward to an even better 2016.
PROF NICO SMITDirector: Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
The growth of the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management over the past six years
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Students
MSc registered 132 147 169 186 210 209
PhD registered 30 21 55 76 91 100
Total 162 168 224 262 301 309
MSc awarded 28 33 34 46 37 55
PhD awarded 4 4 6 6 6 14
Total 32 37 40 52 43 69
Postdoctoral 6 10 16 17 15 18
Publication outputs
Accredited 64 77 74 104 118 155
Non-accredited 14 15 10 11 14 6
Total 78 87 84 115 132 161
Congress contributions
International 50 69 58 76 84 62
National 79 119 100 107 112 86
Published 7 7 5 66 52
Total 136 195 163 183 262 200
NRF rated 17 19 19 18 22 23
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RESEARCH UNIT
Prof Attie de Lange
IntroductionThis research unit focuses on different aspects of languages, ranging from creative literary works to theoretical aspects of literature, linguistics and applied linguistics, as well as the application of language technologies.
The research unit functions in terms of four sub-programmes, namely Literature, Linguistics, Applied Linguistics and Language Teachnology. Each programme has its own research agenda and dedicated researchers. Two important components of the unit are the Centre for Academic and Professional Language Practice (CAPLP) and the Centre for Text Technology (CTexT).
Although local languages, specifically English, Afrikaans and Setswana, are formally studied at different post-graduate levels (MA and PhD), postgraduate courses in French and German are being introduced.
Research highlightsThe research unit was positively evaluated by an inter-national external evaluation panel in September 2014 after a rigorous process of assessment. As a result, certain measures were taken, such as reducing the work allocation of researchers (by obtaining special funding), training in digital humanities has continued, and study and sabbatical leave has been utilised by staff members. Anchor projects need to be established and developed further.
A first for the NWU was the launching of the digital humanities initiative. The first South African workshop on digital humanities was held in Potchefstroom from 23 to 25 February 2015 to create awareness and build capacity in the field. In 2015, three unit members, Prof Attie de Lange, Prof Hein Viljoen and Mr Juan Steyn, attended and received training at the annual rotating Digital Humanities Conference in Sydney, Australia.
Another training and awareness initiative is planned for April 2016, offering courses on topics such as research innovation in the 21st century, the practical application of digital literature and how digital humanities benefits the researcher.
The domain of language technology lends itself to the negotiatiation of projects involving third stream funding. The Department of Arts and Culture agreed to extend the Resource Management Agency (RMA) for one year, at a cost of approximately R1,2 million. Another highlight
of the year was the department’s continued support for existing machine translation projects at CTexT.
Skills baseIn 2015 the unit comprised 49 primary researchers and 17 secondary researchers at different levels working within four subprogrammes. There were 11 NRF-rated researchers on the team.
Congratulations are due to the three staff members who completed their PhDs during 2015, namely Dr Z Meintjies, Dr M van Graan and Dr L Olivier.
Our skills will be further enriched when six staff members complete their PhDs and two their master’s studies. A total of 37 MA and 22 PhD students are currently registered in the four programmes. Five of these MA students and five PhD students successfully completed their studies in 2015.
Publication outputLanguages and Literature showed good growth in the number of articles published in 2015, rising from 46,66 in the previous year to 52,82. We also increased the number of book chapters from six to 14, and produced one book and two published conference proceedings.
Dr M Alberts, one of our research associates, produced the Legal Terminology Dictionary published by Juta. Prof NCT Meihuizen and Prof JE Terblanche had their books accepted for publication. Seven of the chapters in the book Perpektief en profiel: ‘n Afrikaanse literatuur-geskiedenis, were published by researchers in the unit.
Partnerships and collaborationCollaboration programmes, including staff and student exchange, are currently in place with the University of Antwerp in Belgium and the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands. Negotiations are under way with the University of Western Australia, Stanford University and Oxfort University about further formal collaboration programmes within the digital humanities context.
Within the Literature programme, a prominent research partnership exists between the research unit and the Border Poetics Research Group Trømso in Norway. Another thriving collaboration is that between the Language
48
Technology programme and TST Centrale in Den Hague, as well as with the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands.
The Applied Linguistics programme has a good working relationship with the University of Antwerp and also hosts an extraordinary professor, Prof Kris van de Poel. The Centre for Academic and Professional Language Practice plays a leading role in the Inter-institutional Centre for Language Development and Assessment (ICELDA), which is a partnership of four multilingual South African universities: Pretoria, Stellenbosch, North-West and Free State.
Recognition and awardsDr Steve Ndinga-Koumba-Binza received an NRF Young Researcher grant for a period of five years, while Prof WAM Carstens received a Kokerboom award from the Afrikaans language committee for his work in promoting Afrikaans.
Prof SF Greyling held a successful inaugural lecture, and two of the unit’s associate members, Prof Kris van der Poel of Antwerp University and Mrs Rina Loader of University of Vienna in Austria, were awarded chancellor’s medals, enhancing the unit’s European footprint.
Prof JE Terblanche was promoted to professor and Dr M du Plessis-Hay to senior lecturer.
Special projectsCTexT takes part in the international, multi-institutional project, Virtual Institute vir Afrikaans (vivA!), for the development of digital resources and electronic services for Afrikaans. Prof Gerhard van Huyssteen is the project leader.
The Department of Science and Technology has invited the NWU, through the research unit, to submit a proposal for the establishment of a National Centre for Digital Language Resources (NCDLR). If accepted, this will provide term funding for up to 10 years for research and development in the field language technologies, among others. We are awaiting a decision in this regard.
The Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) and the Dutch Language Union are funding a number of projects. The DAC also awarded the third extension of the Autshumato project to CTexT®. This next phase entails the development of a machine translation system for an additional language pair, as well as making the existing systems accessible to a broader audience. CTexT® will work on and expand the project for the next three years
ConclusionThe research unit has had a relatively successful year with more staff members becoming actively involved in research activities, as can be seen by the strong increase in the number of published articles, from 39,15 in 2013 to 52,82 in 2015. Given the wide range of research and development activities taking place within Languages and Literature in the South African Context, as well as outputs and the number of proposals submitted, the financial sustainability of the entity seems secure for a considerable period in the future.
PROF ATTIE DE LANGEDirector: Unit for Languages and Literature in the South African Context+ 27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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RESEARCH UNIT
Prof Ferdi Kruger
IntroductionIn striving to make a theological-scientific contribution to important debates in South Africa, the Unit for Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society (URT) has become known as a prolific generator of high-quality research.
Consequently, the unit has in the past few years been recognised as one of the most productive research entities at the university. This was again the case in late 2015 when we again received the NWU award as the most productive research entity on all three campuses.
In particular, we concern ourselves with debates that relate to the normative function of canonical Scripture and the contribution that Christian communities, through the Christian church, make toward the development of our society in the international context. We approach our research from a Reformed theological perspective, emphasising the Bible as a primary and authoritative source for guiding development and renewing society towards the destiny God wills for it.
Our research does not focus only on the Bible in its original contexts. It also offers hermeneutical lenses for how the reception of these texts in contemporary situations can open up surprising and truthful insights into the origin of life, renewal of life and purpose of life. Thus, our research has relevance for modern society and its dynamics of change and renewal.
Research highlightsAs a result of the unit’s strategy to broaden access to quality postgraduate studies for students in sub-Saharan African countries, the number of enrolled master’s students grew to 147 and the number of enrolled doctoral students to 192.
For both master’s and PhD enrolments, this represented a three-year high in 2015, up from 91 master’s students and 120 doctoral students in 2013.
In the course of 2015, the URT hosted several high-profile conferences and seminars on the Potchefstroom Campus, highlighting the growing stature of our faculty in the national and international landscape of theological thinking.
Our Bibliographical Perspectives subprogramme hosted the unit’s first major conference of the year, NAVNOT/NAVNUT (Netherlands- African-Flemish-Conference) on 20 to 22 January 2015. Next, from 4 to 6 March,
we hosted the First International Conference of New Testament Text, Meaning and Cognition.
This was followed on 30 and 31 July by A Covenantal Vision for Global Mission, a two-day conference that the Missiological Perspectives subprogramme hosted. In the following month, from 23 to 28 August, Missiological Perspectives teamed up with Moral Renewal of the Society to present the New Testament and Bioethics conference.
Two more conferences followed: the FIIT (The Forschungszentrum für Internationale und Interdisziplinäre Theologie or Research Center for International and Interdisciplinary Theology) conference from 9 to 13 September 2015, and the youth conference that Practical Theological Perspectives hosted on 27 and 28 October.
In between these events, we hosted two one-day semi nars, the first on 18 March on empirical research and the second on practical theological methodology, held on 29 July.
Skills baseKnown for our consistently strong research output, the URT has a strong research staff component. In all, we had 19 permanent staff members in 2015 and access to six contract researchers, 102 extraordinary personnel, 31 Greenwich School of Theology tutors, three postdoctoral fellows and five retired researchers over the age of 65. This extensive network of researchers ensures we have the supervision and mentorship capacity to accommodate the growing number of postgraduate students.
Four of the unit’s permanent staff members in 2015 were NRF-rated researchers, namely Prof Francois Viljoen (C3), Prof Koos Vorster (C3), Prof Nico Vorster (Y2) and the late Prof Fritz de Wet (C3).
Publication output The unit published 98,40 accredited articles in 2015, which was slightly lower than the 106,8 units of the previous year. We also earned 5,4 research output units for books published and 3,40 units for book chapters.
Permanent members and extraordinary researchers contributed to the lion’s share of our output. Of the 98,40 accredited articles published during the year, 29,66 were authored by our 19 permanent staff members and 46,25 by extraordinary researchers. The next most productive groups were contracted and retired researchers, both at 6,33 articles for the year. Students contributed 5,83 article units.
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The following table shows the year-on-year research output of the unit from 2013 to 2015.
Articles 2013
Articles 2014
Articles 2015
Books 2013
Books 2014
Books 2015
Chapters in books 2013
Chapters in books 2014
Chapters in books 2015
127,63 106,8 98,40 9,55 22,40 5,45 4,47 5,66 3,40
Although the article output of the unit’s personnel is still on a productive level, we express the hope that the outputs will again show a rising trend within the next year.
Partnerships and collaborationThe unit managed the research components of cooperation agreements between the Faculty of Theology and five institutions in Europe and South America. They are Forschungszentrum Internationale und Interdiziplinäre Theologie at Ruprecht-Karls-Universität in Heidelberg, Germany, the Theologische Universiteit Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, Mackenzie Presbyterian University in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Evangelische Theologische Fakulteit in Leuven in the Netherlands, and the Reformed Theological Seminary in Sarospatak in Hungary.
ConclusionBy actively implementing our strategy to recruit master’s and doctoral students from other sub-Saharan African countries, the unit achieved very good growth in student numbers in 2015. We also succeeded in maintaining and growing our network of national and international collaborators and in making relevant scholarly contributions within our field. We are thankful for the opportunity to contribute to the ever-growing complexities in the South African landscape from a Biblically based theological perspective.
PROF FERDI KRUGERActing Director: Unit for Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
51
RESEARCH UNIT
Prof Pieter Buys
IntroductionThe 2015 reporting year was a turbulent year for WorkWell in that our research director took a six-month research sabbatical to Europe and then tendered his resignation from the directorship.
After almost a year of improvisation, WorkWell reached the point where we needed to take stock and refocus our research energies and map a way forward. Despite the challenges, the unit still experienced a very successful year in terms of research-related results.
WorkWell continued to provide support for research-related activities within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences on the Potchefstroom Campus.
We also took responsibility within the faculty for the financial administration of subsidy for researchers, funding from institutional, government and other sources, and managing the Institutional Research Excellence Award (IREA) accounts of staff.
Research highlightsThe unit experienced some success in terms of NRF-rated researchers in that three staff members were successfully rated. However, two of them subsequently left the university. Taking into account the remaining newly rated researcher, Prof C Jonker, who received a C rating, the unit currently has five C-rated staff members.
Many of our extraordinary staff members also visited the NWU, including Prof Gary van Vuuren (Aviva Investors, United Kingdom), Prof Sam Fullerton (Eastern Michigan University), Prof Jonathan Calof (University of Ottawa), Prof Jaap Paauwe (Tilburg University), Prof René Schalk (Tilburg University), Prof Johnny Fontaine (Universiteit Gent), Prof Fons van de Vijver (Tilburg University) and Prof Stuart McChlery (Glasgow Caledonian University). All these visits included lectures or workshops.
Several WorkWell participants were promoted. Cara Jonker and Christoff Botha were promoted to professor, Chris van Heerden to associate professor, Crizelle Els and Aloe Maintjies to senior lecturer and Debbie Mtshelwane to lecturer.
Finally, many participants were also involved in community engagement projects that not only contribute to social upliftment, but also provide students with opportunities to engage in socially beneficial projects.
Skills baseWorkWell draws primarily on staff from the five schools within the faculty, who then participate in one of the four main research programmes:
Z Research programme for Corporate Resilience: primarily the School of Accounting Sciences and the School of Economics (specifically the Risk Management programme)
Z Research programme in Marketing and Business Management: primarily the School of Business Management
Z Research programme for Work Wellness: primarily the School of Human Capital Management
Z Research programme for Practical Business Solutions: primarily the School of Business and Governance.
Research outputIn terms of publications, the results indicate an increase from 87 articles in 2014 to 94 articles in 2015. Unfortunately, the number of article equivalents decreased slightly from 71,37 in 2014 to 66,86 in 2015. In terms of other research output, some further decreases were experienced:
Z The number of conference papers presented decreased substantially, from 73 in 2014 to 48 in 2015. Local conference presentations remained stable (2014: 25 to 2015: 22), while international conferences were down from 48 in 2014 to 26 in 2015.
Z There was a decrease in the number of master’s degrees awarded, dropping from 47 in 2014 to 37 in 2015. A similar trend was apparent for doctoral degrees, with 12 awarded in 2015 compared to 13 in the previous year. However, the current pipeline is very healthy with 159 enrolled master’s students and 48 enrolled PhD candidates.
Z The 2015 reporting year also delivered one book contribution.
Notwithstanding the downward trend, the total research output, consisting of article equivalents plus master’s and doctorates, remains high and stood at 139,86 units in 2015 compared to the 157,37 of 2014. This effectively represents an output per participating member of staff of 2,59 in 2015 as opposed to the 2,81 of 2014.
The year was also quite successful from the point of view of funding: R151 500 was generated from internal NWU sources, while R679 811 was generated externally.
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ConclusionWorkWell was able to maintain a good level of research output, and although the decreases experienced are disappointing, it has to be kept in mind that the previous year, 2014, was an extraordinarily successful year.
On the whole, the levels of productivity per participating member of staff remain high, along with international visibility, both in journal publications and international collaboration. The unit is often visited by international researchers and new agreements are being put in place.
We continually support staff in developing a research profile through international and national travel and training opportunities.
PROF PIETER BUYSActing Director: Workwell Research Unit for Economic and Management Sciences+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
Prof Herrie van Rooy
IntroductionAncient Texts was established at the beginning of 2015 as an inter-campus entity with members from the Potchefstroom and Vaal Triangle campuses. Hence, this is our first annual report and it is clear that we made very good progress in our first year.
A strategic plan was compiled and accepted by the Faculty of Theology on the Potchefstroom Campus. Four subprogrammes were established, each with its own leader. An acting director was at the helm of Ancient Texts during 2015 and a full-time director will be appointed early in 2016.
At a time when the study of ancient languages is on the decline nationally and internationally, we are in a unique position to fill this developing void. Our main activity is the scholarly investigation of ancient texts, their contexts and reception.
The primary focus is text-based research, meaning that the principle of descriptive adequacy is essential as a common denominator in the study of languages such as Greek, Latin, Hebrew and other Semitic languages. A special interest of the focus area is on expanding the encyclopaedia of understanding of ancient languages in Africa.
In studying ancient languages, we are entering a niche market of specialisation, built on a rare competency in philosophical approaches to the Hebrew Bible. The focus area has a body of well-qualified staff and a very good library.
Research highlightsAncient Texts was established in 2015 with four subprogrammes:
Z Ancient Near Eastern texts in context
Z Bible translation and the translation of texts in ancient languages
Z Texts, contexts and receptions from Greco-Roman Antiquity
Z Scholarship of teaching and learning
We had the honour of hosting the 31st Biennial Conference of the Classical Association of South Africa. It was presented in Potchefstroom for the first time in the association’s existence. Four participants from the focus area delivered papers.
Another major event was the international conference that we co-hosted with the University of Pretoria in Potchefstroom from 28 to 30 August, with sponsorship from the NRF. The theme of this conference was “Construction, Coherence and Connotation in LXX, Apocryphal and Cognate Literature”. The conference was a great success and holds the promise of fertile future cooperation nationally as well as internationally.
At the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in the United States, Prof Jaco Gericke hosted a session devoted to his 2012 publication on the Hebrew Bible and the philosophy of religion.
Skills baseAncient Texts draws on the expertise of 22 researchers, four of whom have NRF ratings. They include Prof Jaco Gericke, who received his C2 rating during the year. The other NRF-rated researchers are Prof Pierre Jordaan, who has a C2 rating, Prof Hans van Deventer with a C3 rating and Prof Herrie F van Rooy, a retired (post-65) researcher with a B2 rating.
In all, the focus area has two full professors, three associate professors, four senior lecturers with PhDs, two lecturers with MA degrees, a junior lecturer, one post-65 researcher, six postdoctoral fellows and three extraordinary researchers.
In 2015, the focus area had two MA and four PhD students. One MA student completed his studies and received his degree.
Publication outputThe members of the focus area published 24 articles in accredited journals, one chapter in a book and two books in 2015. The output of the previous year was reported as part of the Unit for Reformed Theology and the School of Basic Sciences on the Vaal Triangle Campus.
Research collaborationProf Dr Marianne Dirksen established collaboration with Prof John Witte, translating key Latin texts for the publication Sex, Marriage and Family in John Calvin’s Geneva 2.
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The subprogramme, Scholarship of teaching and learning, established co-operation with Prof Nancy Llewellyn of Wyoming Catholic College in the United States. She presented a workshop in Potchefstroom and the subgroup has received an invitation to attend a workshop in Charles Town, West Virginia in June 2016.
Dr A Lamprecht submitted data for the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (online dictionary) and it was accepted by the editor, Dr Reinier de Blois of the Summer Institute of Linguistics.
Rewards and recognitionDr Susandra van Wyk, a postdoctoral fellow, received a bursary from the British Institute for the Study of Iraq and the Lorne Thyssen Fund for the Ancient World, administered by the Ancient World Cluster at Wolfson College, Oxford.
The bursary enabled Dr van Wyk to present a paper at the Oxford Postgraduate Conference in Assyriology. Her paper
was titled “Prostitute, Nun or ‘Man-Woman’: Revisiting the Position of the Old Babylonian Nadiātu-Priestesses.”
ConclusionThe establishment of this focus area was an important step forward for the NWU in that our focus is on ancient languages, a field that is in decline, nationally and internationally. The research output of Ancient Texts bodes very well for the future. There are many young and enthusiastic researchers in the focus area, a positive factor for our future viability.
PROF HERRIE VAN ROOY Acting Director: Ancient Texts: Text, Context and ReceptionContact person: Prof HJM (Hans) van Deventer+27 (0)16 910 [email protected]
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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
Prof Manie Vosloo
IntroductionThe economic benefit that South Africa derives from its mineral wealth is limited because only a small portion of the minerals mined are beneficiated on home soil. Through fundamental and applied research on beneficiation, Chemical Resource Beneficiation in the Faculty of Natural Sciences on the Potchefstroom Campus aims to add sustainable value to the country’s mineral and chemical resource base.
Our main focus is on the platinum group metals and chromium, coal-to-petrochemical conversion and the control of emissions from the industrial use of coal.
Research highlights Via the Advanced Metals Initiative, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) awarded R1,2 million to the Membrane Technology group for the development of a Membrane-based Solvent Extraction (MBSX) demonstra-tion unit for the separation of zirconium and hafnium.
The first laboratory-scale electrostatic precipitator (ESP) in South Africa was designed and built by members associ-ated with the Eskom Research Chair in Emission Control.
Through this chair, the NWU has established a memorandum of agreement with EDF EKOSERWIS in Poland to learn how coal combustion products can be better utilised to minimise the need for large storage piles, which is how Eskom currently disposes of fly ash.
Several scientists participated in the focus area’s collo-quium series. Among them were Dr M Livneh (Israel), Dr T Shinde (India) and Dr M Albrecht (Switzerland).
Skills baseStaff members are drawn from the schools of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Chemical and Mineral Engineering and Geo and Spatial Sciences. The focus area also has collaborators from other NWU groups and local universities, as well as six extraordinary staff members from industry and international universities.
In 2015, six postdoctoral fellows and 49 postgraduate students were enrolled, of whom 33 were PhD students and 16 master’s students. Seven master’s and four doctoral degrees were awarded.
Staff and students work in various research groups:
Z Electrochemistry for Energy and Environment focuses on electron transfer to and from metals, and metal
species, as well as the facilitation of electron transfer by metals. The group also participates in the HySA Catalysis Centre of Competency of the DST.
Z Membrane Technology explores membrane technology as a future-driven, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional separation processes. It also participates in the HySA Infrastructure Centre of Competency.
Z Coal Chemistry studies the influence of impurities on the formation of minerals during the gasification and combustion processes of South African coal.
Z Chromium Technology investigates critical processes and environmental issues of the ferrochrome industry.
Z Catalysis and Synthesis studies homogeneous catalysed organic reactions with potential industrial value, and participates in the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Catalysis (c*change).
Z The Eskom Chair in Emission Control trains highly skilled scientists and engineers and generates local knowledge to the benefit of Eskom.
Z The Laboratory for Applied Molecular Modelling promotes the development of molecular modelling. The Laboratory for Analytical Services and the Laboratory for Electron Microscopy provide other specialised analytical services.
Research outputMembers of the focus area published 58 articles in 2015, 54 of which appeared in international peer-reviewed journals with ISI impact factors ranging from 0,221 to 7,443. In fact, 38 of the 58 articles published were in journals with an impact factor above two.
A further 19 manuscripts were submitted in 2015, 14 of which have already been accepted for publication in 2016.
Internationally, 29 presentations were made at conferences or meetings in Ethiopia, Poland, Canada, Germany, Austria, USA, Sweden, Hungary, UK-Wales and Australia. We were also well represented at national conferences, delivering 31 presentations.
Partnerships and collaborationStrategic alliances are in place with universities or research institutions in South Africa, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and Romania.
National programmes that harness strategic alliances are c*change, the Advanced Metals Initiative (AMI) and the Eskom Research Chair in Emission Control.
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Prof Manie Vosloo visited the University of Dilla in Ethiopia from 24 February to 1 March for meetings on future research collaboration. He met with the university’s president, director for research and members of the Department of Chemistry.
Prof Vosloo also presented a public lecture titled “Challenges in the design and development of alkene metathesis catalysts”. As a result of this visit, four focus area members participated in the 5th National Research Conference on Environment and Development held at the University of Dilla on 4 and 5 June 2015.
Dr Andrew Swarts presented his research at the Gregynog Synthesis Workshop in Wales, UK and held collaborative discussions with Dr Stephen Thomas of Edinburgh University on iron-catalysed organic synthesis.
Ms Yolindi van Staden, a PhD student in the Chromium Technology group, spent a month in Norway at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) doing collaborative research funded by the NRF and NTNU. After this collaboration a joint international funding application was submitted.
Funding for research was obtained nationally from Sasol, Necsa, Eskom, Glencore, Hydromet, Hydrox, TIA, Tharisa and THRIP, and internationally from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.
Recognition and awardsA paper published by the Electrochemistry for Energy and Environment Group, made the cover of Electrocatalysis, an accredited Springer journal. Its title was “Combinatorial plasma sputtering of PtxPdy thin film electrocatalysts for aqueous SO2 electro-oxidation”.
Dr Cobus Kriek was invited to join the editorial board of Electrocatalysis. He is the only board member from Africa.
Dr Paul Beukes was invited as the keynote speaker at the Natural Resources Canada Workshop on Chromite Research & Development held in Ottawa, Canada on 23 June 2015. It is foreseen that collaboration between the Chromium Technology group and CanmetMINING will occur in the foreseeable future, as the chromite ore resources in Canada are being developed.
Prof Manie Vosloo chaired the organising committee of the Autumn School of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Catalysis (c*change) and the 2nd international Syngas convention (SynGas2), held in Stellenbosch from 26 to 28 March and Cape Town from 29 March to 1 April respectively. He is a co-editor of a special issue of Catalysis Today dedicated to SynGas 2. He also chaired the External Evaluation Panel of the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science at Stellenbosch University from 27 to 30 September.
Dr Cornie van Sittert was elected as the chairperson of the Molecular Modelling Division of the South African Chemical Institute and as a member of the executive committee and media officer of the Catalysis Society of South Africa.
Prof Christien Strydom is a founding member and member of the executive committee of the newly formed South African Underground Coal Association (SAUCGA).
Ms Retha Peach received the Bruker prize for the best master’s student in the research focus area in 2014 and a Vice-Chancellor’s Medal for excellent work during her master’s study.
MSc student Leon de Beer won the best oral award at the AMI conference 2015 with a presentation titled “Extractants for the solvent extraction and separation of hafnium and zirconium” with co-authors Prof Henning Krieg and Mr Derik van der Westhuizen.
ConclusionThe beneficiation of platinum group metals and chromium is critical for the economic development of South Africa. Similarly, the efficient utilisation of coal and the control of emissions in associated processes is critical for meeting the country’s energy demands.
Chemical Resource Beneficiation is part of the drive to find appropriate, innovative solutions to these challenges and to ensure that industry has access to world-class research expertise and highly skilled manpower.
PROF MANIE VOSLOO Director: Chemical Resource Beneficiation (CRB) +27 (0)18 299 1669 [email protected]
Degrees awarded.
Total publications (TP) in numbers and article equivalents (ae).
Average output (ao) and average normalised output (ano).
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
TPTP (ae)
aoano
MPhD
57
RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
Prof Herman Grobler
IntroductionCOMPRES became operational in January 2015 and initially started off as a research home for Psychology, Social Work, the Centre for Child, Youth and Family Studies (CCYF) and some researchers in education.
Towards the end of the year, however, it was decided that the focus would be purely on psychology, social work and the CCYF, and that a new niche would be developed for education.
As the first research entity on the Potchefstroom Campus established solely to support researchers from Social Work and Psychology, COMPRES provides psychosocial researchers with the opportunity to become experts within their specific mono-disciplinary fields and from there to do research in multi-disciplinary fields. Participatory research will form a significant part of our research and some of our researchers focus primarily on community-based research, referring to “community” as a geographical group with the same interest or common goals.
Research highlightsIn our first year as a research focus area, it was important to us to clarify our vision: to conduct high-quality, scientific research on community psychosocial wellness in appropriate South African contexts with the aim of preventing pathology and improve psychosocial wellbeing.
In addition, we seek to establish ourselves as leading role-players in community psychosocial research in the wider Southern Africa region. This would entail developing and implementing appropriate models for understanding and addressing community psychosocial adversity and wellbeing in a developing context.
During 2015, researchers made contributions at various national and international conferences where papers were delivered. Formal visits were also scheduled to establish collaboration with other organisations on a national and international level. Countries where conferences were attended include France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Collaboration visits were made to Belgium, the Netherlands and France.
Skills baseCOMPRES has only two permanent staff members, namely the research director and a senior administrative officer. However, 41 researchers from the School of Psychosocial
Behavioural Sciences and the CCYF make up the research team whose research falls within the research entity. Two NRF-rated researchers are part of the COMPRES team.
The levels of research participation of the researchers in COMPRES vary, as some of the researchers are more involved in teaching. The goal, however, is to encourage all of the academic staff members of the School and CCYF to become involved in research projects that will enable them to develop as researchers and deliver research outputs.
During the year, 58 master’s students and 27 PhD social work students were registered (first-year registrations included) and there were 70 master’s and 27 PhD psy-chology students (first registrations included). Of these students, 61 master’s and four PhD students graduated. An action plan needs to be generated to address the low throughput of PhD students.
Publication outputNot all researchers are actively involved in the COMPRES research process and this is one of the challenges to be addressed. However, the output numbers look promising when taking into account that COMPRES is in its first year of existence. Two writing retreats were organised to motivate researchers to publish.
A total of 26 articles were published in national and international accredited journals. One researcher published a chapter in a book and another was co-editor of a book.
Partnerships and collaborationPartnerships were already established in the first year as these are imperative for research collaboration and increased outputs. We established a formal partnership with Hanze University in the Netherlands and, within the EUROSA bursary scheme, a new partnership with Tilburg University.
Recognition and awardsMs Elzahne Simeon received a certificate for her first publication as young researcher and Dr Annelize Bonthuys received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Community Engagement for her work on the Phelophepa Healthcare train.
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Special projectsCurrently there is one NRF-funded project running, focusing on strengthening families and communities. Phase one of this project started in 2015 and will continue until phase three is implemented in 2017. This project gives families the opportunity to share their experiences about their strengths and weaknesses as families and communities. The information gained will ultimately help to plan strategies together with the communities in order to address shortcomings in family and community policies.
Conclusion2015 was a challenging year for COMPRES, as it was our first year as a research entity. However, most researchers enthusiastically associated themselves with COMPRES and
appreciate the value that this entity adds to their own research development, to the profile of the university and to partnerships with the broader community.
One of the biggest challenges for COMPRES is to support researchers to find a healthy balance between teaching responsibilities and research. COMPRES can assist researchers to become involved in specific research projects with specialised focus areas. This will not only enhance the professional development of researchers but will also help with student throughput and research output.
PROF HERMAN GROBLERDirector: Community Psychosocial Research (COMPRES)+27 (0)18 285 [email protected]
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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
PROF DU TOIT LOOTS PROF CHRIS VORSTER
IntroductionThe eight-year-old Centre for Human Metabolomics on the Potchefstroom Campus reached a milestone in 2015 when it was reshaped as two interlinked entities: a research focus area, Human Metabolomics, within the university’s formal research entity programme, and the Centre for Human Metabolomics.
The former’s purpose is to conduct basic and applied metabolomics and systems biology research, and the latter’s to commercialise the developed methodologies or research findings. These activities are carried out with the support of the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), National Research Foundation (NRF) and other private funders.
Together, the focus area and the centre combine world-class expertise and forefront technologies to challenge traditional research methodologies. Metabolomics is a holistic research approach that aims to characterise the global metabolic response in health and disease.
Along with other ‘omics’ technologies such as genomics and proteomics, which are also available at Human Metabolomics, metabolomics enables complete bio-analytical characterisation of living organisms and helps to unlock disease mechanisms that have up to now eluded scientists.
Research highlightsThe establishment of Human Metabolomics as a research focus area and the Centre for Human Metabolomics as its commercialisation arm was a major step forward for the study of metabolomics in South Africa.
Originally classified as a centre of competence/platform – the only one of its kind in Africa – the centre applied for recognition as a focus area within the formal research entity programme. The application was based on a favourable external evaluation conducted in 2013. The application served at the Institutional Committee for Research and Innovation who recommended it to the institutional Senate and the university Council. Final approval was given in the second quarter of 2015 for Human Metabolomics as an independent research structure with the Centre for Human Metabolomics remaining as an integrated structure alongside it.
The National Metabolomics Platform (NMP) has reached an advanced stage towards becoming a national service point for metabolomics technologies and applications.
The NMP is the product of a multi-million rand contractual agreement between the NWU and the TIA for the period 2012 to 2017. This venture is the result of the continuous outflow from both the focus area and the centre of high-quality research with high national and international impact.
Skills baseSince the end of 2014, the Centre for Human Metabolomics has been increasing its capacity to provide study guidance by leveraging various support structures. Maturity of the strategy is evident from the increase in the qualification level of support staff (from three to six PhD support staff members) and the recruitment of three postdoctoral fellows and four extraordinary staff members.
This enabled Human Metabolomics to provide support to 25 MSc and 17 PhD students with only seven academic staff members. Furthermore, students not only acquire thorough knowledge and in-depth understanding of their chosen study field but also master at least one advanced analytical or molecular technique, equipping them with sought-after skills. Five MSc students and one PhD student graduated in 2015.
Publication outputsThe research outputs remain outstanding, both in terms of quality and quantity. We published 11,2 article equiva lents in 2015, which was significantly better than last year’s 8,9 and the previous year’s 9,5. The number of article equivalents per academic staff member stood at 1,6 compared to 1,3 last year. The average impact factor of journals in which we published was 3,1.
These achievements are the result of the sustained efforts of both the academic and support staff, and all who contributed should be congratulated. Of note is the high international publication rate and the efficiency ratios despite the workload, such as the significantly reduced time (1,6 years) for delivering MSc students.
Partnerships and collaborationThe Centre for Human Metabolomics was involved in two contractual agreements and 30 collaborative projects in 2015. Ten of these were with local universities including the universities of Cape Town, Natal, Stellenbosch,
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Pretoria, Witwatersrand and Sefako Makgatho University of Health Sciences.
The remaining 22 collaborative projects were with the University of Tsukuba in Japan, Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, Radboud, Nijmegen, Amsterdam, Wageningen and Leiden universities in the Netherlands, the University of Washington, Alabama University and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota in the United States, Autonomous University in Spain, University of Helsinki in Finland, University of Bergen in Norway, Katholieke Universiteit in Belgium, Lund University in Sweden, and University Children’s Hospital in Zurich.
Special mention should be made of the contractual agreement with Agilent Technologies, which runs from 2014 to 2018. In terms of this agreement, the analytical platform of the Centre for Human Metabolomics will serve as an official Agilent partner laboratory with access to a collaborative network to develop and apply analytical techniques.
Recognition, awards and special projectsThe focus area and the centre were recognised as the NWU entity with the most new inventions for the year 2015.
Prof Du Toit Loots was awarded Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funding for the development and validation of a sensitive, specific, one-time blood test for gestational diabetes, valued at R 4,1 million, for 2015 and 2016.
Dr Francois Taute received the NWU award for the scientist with the most disclosures of new inventions for the year 2015. He and Elardus Erasmus received the award for the most promising disclosure at the NWU for 2015.
Prof Du Toit Loots and Dr Francois Taute additionally received R500 000 in TIA Seed Funding for new TB diagnostic technology development in 2015.
The Newborn Screening laboratory negotiated the reimbursement of its services with Discovery Health, paving the way for large-scale roll-out of the service in the private sector.
Dr Zander Lindeque, Prof Chris Vorster and Dr Francois Taute acquired R300 000 in TIA Seed Funding for rapid amino acid entrapment and analysis for 2015.
These three researchers and Mrs Mari van Reenen acquired an NRF Egypt/South Africa Joint Research Grant to the value of R300 000 for 2015.
Prof Albie van Dijk registered a South African patent in Australia: Recombinant therapeutic glycine N-acyltransferase. Grant number: AU2011294798.
Commercialisation of expertiseThe diagnostic services of the Centre for Human Metabolomics, which include tests for newborn screening, inherited metabolic diseases, and biotransformation and oxidative stress status, received 5 798 requests for testing during 2015. The laboratories continue to support clinicians and assist patients in the diagnosis and monitoring of inherited metabolic diseases. Furthermore, eight targeted and untargeted GC-MS, LC-MS and NMR analyses were made available for metabolomics services to external clientele or research collaborators. This was in addition to chemometric data analyses for such applications.
ConclusionThe integrated Human Metabolomics and Centre for Human Metabolomics continue to strike a good balance between the education of postgraduate students, high-quality research and the commercialisation of expertise. 2015 was certainly a highlight year with substantial improvements in the available student guidance capacity, internationalisation, the demand for analytical services and IP disclosures. The establishment of a new focus area also brought a new dimension to the entity with exciting new possibilities.
PROF DU TOIT LOOTSDirector: Human MetabolomicsTel: +27 (0)18 299 1818Email: [email protected]
PROF CHRIS VORSTERDirector: Centre for Human MetabolomicsTel: +27 (0)18 299 4196Email: [email protected]
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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
Prof Eno Ebenso
IntroductionSince being approved in 2012, Material Science Innovation and Modelling (MaSIM) has endeavoured to become a leading research and development centre in the area of materials, metal initiatives and nanotechnology initiatives to solve industry-related problems on a regional, provincial and national level.
The strategic aim is to create an enabling environment for the realisation of the strategic objectives of the South African government by supporting the long-term development of advanced materials, nano science, nano technology and renewable energy/modelling research, while developing human capital and supporting infrastructure in the province.
Our thinking is that these aspirations will be achieved by conducting fundamental and applied transdisciplinary research and developing innovative methods. The entity intends to achieve the following:
Z bring about maximum human capital, sustainable economic growth and improved quality of life
Z enhance South Africa’s knowledge-generation capacity in order to produce world-class research outputs and assist in turning some of the advanced findings into innovative products and processes
Z develop appropriate human capital for science, technology and innovation to meet the needs of society
Z build and train the next generation of researchers and enable technology development and transfer, as well as knowledge interchange.
Research highlightsThe focus area assisted and sponsored team members and students on research collaboration visits to other institutions, to attend or present papers at conferences and to undergo specialised research training.
Staff and students who were assisted to attend national and international conferences include the following:
Z Ms Ohaeri Ifeoma, a third-year PhD student of Computer Science, attended a workshop on computer hacking forensics investigation at the IT Training Corporation in Centurion.
Z Ms OE Fayemi, a PhD student, and three MSc students, Ms N Mphuthi, D Boikanyo and P Tsele, attended and presented papers at the 3rd International Symposium
on Electrochemistry at the University of Western Cape’s main campus in Bellville.
Z Dr Sasikumar Yesudass, a postdoctoral fellow, attended and presented a paper at the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) Eastern Area Conference in Canada.
Z Prof Eno Ebenso and two students, OE Fayemi and N Mphuthi, attended and presented papers at the 16th Topical Conference of the International Society of Electrochemistry in Angra dos Reis, Brazil.
Z Dr I Bahadur and a PhD student, Mr R Gnanapragasam, attended and presented papers at the Thermodynamics 2015 Conference at the Technical University of Denmark.
Z Prof M Khalique, Dr B Muatjetjeja, Dr AR Adem, Ms DM Mothibi and Mr IE Mhlanga attended and presented papers at the 3rd International Workshop on Non-Linear and Modern Mathematical Physics at the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), Cape Town.
Z Dr T Seretlo, Mr T Motsepa and D Chikopela from the Mathematical Sciences Department attended and presented papers at the South African Mathematical Society Conference.
Z Mr Henry Nwankwo, a PhD student, attended and presented a paper at the 3rd EuCheMS Inorganic Chemistry Conference at Wroclaw, Poland.
Z Two PhD students, Mr L Olasunkanmi and O Alo, attended and presented papers at the Green Chemistry Workshop of the 42nd National Convention of the South African Chemical Institute (SACI) in Durban.
Z Dr A Adekunle, a postdoctoral fellow, and Mr L Olasunkanmi, a PhD student, attended and presented papers at the 227th Electrochemical Society Meeting/Conference in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition, the focus area provided the funding for Dr M Kabanda to acquire the NBO 6.0 software for Windows (X86) Individual Licence from the Theoretical Chemistry Institute of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA. Funds were also provided to assist Prof A Mawire and his research group in the Solar and Renewable Energy group to revamp their research equipment.
Research visits and collaboration with other research groups were important avenues for high-level research exposure. In 2015, Dr S C Noutchie again visited the University of Yaounde in Cameroun, while Dr I Bahadur, two PhD and two MSc students visited the Durban
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University of Technology for research work, and Dr Bahadur visited Prof P Venkatesu of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Delhi, India on a research collaboration.
Skills baseThe entity comprises capable researchers from the depart-ments of Chemistry, Physics/Electronics, Mathematical Sciences and Computer Science. It has six NRF-rated members, one each with a B1, C1, C2 and C3 rating, and two with a Y rating. MaSIM has 14 permanent staff members, comprising three full professors, two research professors, two associate professors and seven senior lecturers. There are also 10 postdoctoral fellows, and several honours, master’s and doctoral students.
During the 2015 year, MaSIM provided bursaries to one honours, two master’s and four PhD students.
Staff and students work in the following research groups/subthemes:
Z Electrochemistry, kinetics, adsorption, thermodynamics of corrosion prevention in materials; computer modelling and simulation/quantum chemical/molecular modelling and theoretical studies of compounds used for corrosion inhibition using density functional theory (DFT) and other semi-empirical methods; material theory, modelling and simulation of structural defects; thermodynamics of solutions.
Z Biomaterials, synthesis and application of nano-materials/nano-particles and sensors in corrosion prevention and water purification/treatment; electrochemical sensors and detection of drugs.
Z Renewable energy resources, for instance solar energy applications on materials.
Z The use of applied modelling and its applications to materials science modelling and simulations, fluid mechanics, colloidal phenomena and bioseparations, multiphase systems, porous media and its modelling; representation theory of finite groups, character tables of extension; groups, Clifford-Fischer matrices, presentations of group extensions; coding and application of finite groups to combinatorial designs and finite geometries; symmetries and conservation laws, group classification, approximate symmetries, stochastic finance, and applications of differential equations to other fields.
Research outputThe research focus area members and its collaborators have published a total of 35,40 units of research outputs
in international, peer-reviewed journals, mostly on the ISI and Web of Science database.
Partnerships and collaborationThe Chemistry Department hosted guests from the United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research (US-AFOSR), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Mintek on 17 September 2015.
MaSIM representatives made presentations, including the Corrosion and Biomedical Applications group, Nanotechnology/Nanosized materials group, Electrochemical sensors group, Computational Chemistry group and Biotechnology/Biochemistry group.
Mr Kaitano Dzinavatonga of the Department of Physics and a member of the focus area was hosted at IPANEMA in France, where he carried out studies on spectroscopic analysis of heritage and archaeological artefacts. He is currently part of a collaborative project, studying historical documents from the National Library of South Africa and of Timbuktu through microscopy in polarised light, FTIR, XRF and Mössbauer and Raman spectroscopy.
Recognition and awardsThe SAMS Award for Research Distinction 2015 was presented to Prof J Moori (a B-rated scientist in pure mathematics) at the Congress Gala dinner on 5 November 2015. The award serves to stimulate and recognise excellence in South African research relating to mathematics or the application of mathematics in any field.
Mr Gethuset won the award for the best MSc Thesis (SA2B3 award) on the Mafikeng Campus under the supervision of Prof R Medupe.
ConclusionThe focus area intends to continue to improve on its research outputs, attract more postdoctoral fellows, young and experienced researchers, and international and national collaborators.
PROF ENO EBENSOActing Director: Material Science Innovation and Modelling (MaSIM)+27 (0)18 389 2915/[email protected]://enoebenso.wix.com/masim
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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
Prof Ian Rothmann
IntroductionOptentia conducts problem-focused research on the optimal expression of individual, social and institutional potential. Taking a humane scientific approach, the focus area aims to delineate measure and promote the optimal expression of this potential, emphasising multicultural contexts in developing countries.
As an interdisciplinary entity, Optentia utilises the inputs from various disciplines in the social sciences, includ-ing psychology, industrial/organisational psychology, educational sciences, educational psychology, sociology, employment relations and social work. The research in Optentia’s subprogrammes has an active community and institutional focus, which contributes to social change and development of the potential of people and institutions.
Research highlightsOptentia has restructured its subprogrammes. Prof Jaco Hoffman, previously from Oxford University, has joined Optentia and is leading the Ageing and Generational Dynamics subprogramme. Prof Mary Grosser was appointed as leader of a new subprogramme, Holistic Learning in Diverse Contexts. Prof Llewellyn van Zyl was appointed as the head of the Optimising Performance subprogramme.
Qualitative and quantitative studies were launched to explore experiences of unemployment in South Africa. The research project, funded by VLIR in Belgium, is undertaken by Prof Hans De Witte, Prof Anja Van den Broeck and Prof Ian Rothmann. An Unemployment Research Advisory Board, consisting of community members, business and government representatives, was established.
From 22 to 28 February 2015 our researchers held collaborative research meetings with our counterparts from Finland’s University of Helsinki. The ongoing research project explores the positive adjustment of Grade 1 learners despite living in risk-filled contexts.
Participants in Optentia were involved in the 2015 International Association of Cognitive Education Conference (IACESA) held in Cape Town during February 2015. Prof Ian Rothmann and Prof Mary Grosser presented keynote addresses at the conference. Prof Grosser was elected as the president of IACESA for 2015 to 2017.
Optentia’s Prof Jaco Hoffman has been appointed as the co-director of the International Longevity Centre, South Africa. Prof Llewellyn van Zyl became president of
the Society for Industrial/ Organisational Psychology in South Africa (SIOPSA) in 2015.
Skills baseDuring the year, 37 permanent staff members, 12 extra-ordinary professors and two postdoctoral research fellows participated in research activities at Optentia. Four staff members have NRF ratings. The 12 extraordinary professors are internationally renowned experts in their subjects, which include happiness, meaning in life, positive education, resilience, motivation, inclusive education, statistics, talent management, remuneration and psychology of unemployment.
A total of 80 master’s and 30 PhD students participated in the research focus area in 2015. Fifteen master’s students and 15 PhD students completed their studies.
Optentia organised 24 workshops focused on cutting-edge topics such as qualitative research, latent variable modelling with Mplus, measurement invariance testing, positive pedagogy, understanding the unemployment experience, happiness tracking tools, self-determination theory, meaning in life, and test adaptation and accultura-tion. In all, 468 individuals attended these workshops.
Further strengthening our capacity, Optentia appointed a statistical consultant, Elizabeth Bothma, and a project manager, Anjonet Jordaan, during 2015.
Publication outputParticipants published 35 article equivalents (chapters in peer-reviewed journals included) in 2015, compared to 30 article equivalents in 2014. In line with our strategy to direct more publications to peer-reviewed journals, we published 78% of the articles in international peer-reviewed journals. Optentia-affiliated staff presented 52 papers and posters at national and international conferences in 2015.
Partnerships and collaborationResearch partnerships and collaboration increased during 2015. The focus area hosted 18 international visitors representing 18 international institutions. New international networks were formed with KULeuven in Belgium, the Jubilee Centre at Birmingham University, the University of Helsinki, and Oxford University.
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A joint PhD between KULeuven and the NWU’s Vaal Triangle Campus was signed. Three PhD students, namely Melinda du Toit, Leoni van der Vaart and Rachele Paver, were recruited for the joint PhD. The three PhD students are funded by the Flemish Interuniversity Board and the NWU to study experiences of and to deal with unemploy-ment in South Africa. In 2015, Melinda du Toit and Leoni van der Vaart spent four months at the KULeuven in Belgium.
Prof Ian Rothmann and Dr Deon van Tonder visited the Jubilee Centre of Character Development in June 2015 to discuss research collaboration. Dr Sandra Cooke of the Jubilee Centre visited Optentia from 2 to 6 November 2015 to present workshops about character development. Prof Rothmann visited the University of Helsinki in Finland in June 2015 where he served on a panel as an external examiner for a doctoral study.
The third Pathways to Resilience international conference was hosted by the Resilience Research Centre (RRC) in Halifax, Canada, from 16 to 19 June 2015. Optentia was represented by eight researchers and postgraduate students.
Optentia, in collaboration with the Faculty of Education Sciences on the Potchefstroom Campus, hosted a sym posium, Teacher Education for Inclusion, on 1 and 2 October 2015.
Prof Mary Grosser was invited to attend the 2015 LEGO Idea Conference from 15 to 19 April 2015. She started collaboration with LEGO, and specifically with Care for Education, a South African organisation promoting learning through play.
Prof Tumi Khumalo visited universities in Zambia and Kenya to discuss research collaboration and to initiate a research project on positive psychology in Africa.
Awards and recognitionOptentia researchers were involved in editorial roles for various journals, including the SA Journal of Psychology (Prof Linda Theron), International Journal of Stress Management (Prof Ian Rothmann), Burnout Research (Prof Rothmann), South African Journal of Education (Prof Theron), Education as Social Change (Prof Theron), and SA Journal of Industrial Psychology (Prof Rothmann and Prof Marius Stander).
In July 2015, Prof Rothmann was awarded an honorary fellowship by the Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa (SIOPSA).
Special projectsAs part of the ethical undertaking of this research, Prof Deborah Eyre, a global leader in the area of high performance in young people, visited Optentia from 9 to 16 October 2015 to present workshops. Prof Eyre is working with Prof Grosser and Prof Nel to develop funding applications for the international research project.
Prof Grosser and Dr Magda Kloppers were invited by Dr Celia Booyse, curriculum manager at Umalusi, to take part in a discussion meeting with various other stakeholders to establish a holistic framework that would develop and improve standards for the consumer studies, hospitality studies and tourism subjects.
During May 2015, Prof Jaco Hoffman was an invited delegate to Bellagio, the Rockefeller Foundation’s conference facility, for a think-tank on the theme, Resilience and Ageing.
ConclusionOptentia initiatives worked well during 2015. One was the continuation of the practice of appointing extraordinary professors, which built capacity among our researchers and led to joint projects with various international networks.
Competence-building workshops in quantitative and qualitative data analysis were also successful; as were the marketing initiatives we undertook to recruit good-quality master’s and doctoral students.
The focus area is characterised by a positive orientation to make worthwhile contributions, not only to research, but also to optimise the potential of people, relationships and institutions.
We will continue to build the entity in 2016, while also developing the competence of researchers through coaching and workshops, working on internationally funded research projects with African and international relevance, and delivering quality master’s and PhD students and research outputs.
PROF IAN ROTHMANNDirector: Optentia Research Focus Area+ 27 (0)16 910 [email protected]
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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
Prof Hanlie Moss
IntroductionPhysical inactivity is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the world, according to the latest research from the World Health Organisation.
On the other hand, proficiency in movement, along with sufficient movement from an early age, encourages sport participation and academic performance in adolescents. Increased levels of physical activity in adults result in greater participation in recreational activities, improved mass participation and longevity.
The role of Physical activity, Sport and Recreation (PhASRec), based at the Potchefstroom Campus, is to contribute to a more active, healthier society by researching movement across the human lifespan.
Focusing mainly on community-based research projects, PhASRec has undertaken some of South Africa’s largest longitudinal projects, such as the Physical Activity and Health Longitudinal (PAHL) study among adolescents from 2010 to 2014 and the NWU-CHILD study, conducted from 2011 to 2016 among primary school children in the North West Province.
The research findings from our projects are incorporated into the graduate teaching programme on health, well-ness and performances across the spectrum, from the recreational participant to the elite athlete.
Research highlights In 2015, we established three subprogrammes, one each for physical activity, sport and recreation. A programme leader was appointed for each programme for the purposes of succession planning and to improve communication and the involvement of researchers in the planning of activities.
The strategy of improving the impact of publications instead of the number of publications is reaping rewards, with the h-index of PhASRec increasing for the third consecutive year.
Skills base The number of PhASRec researchers stabilised at 33 in 2015, three of whom hold NRF ratings. Four staff members obtained their PhD qualifications during the year, increasing the percentage of staff with a PhD to 56%. Ten other staff members are busy improving their
qualifications, with three enrolled for master’s studies and seven for doctorates.
An important staff milestone was the appointment of our first full-time researcher, Dr Stanislaw Czyz.
In all, 22 PhASRec researchers supervised 43 registered master’s students and 31 registered PhD students. From this group of 74 students, 11 obtained their master’s degrees and six their PhDs.
The research output of Prof Andries Monyeki led to his being recognised as an established researcher on an international level, with a C3 rating. As a result, he successfully applied to the International Atomic Energy Agency for a grant to study body composition by isotope measurement.
Publication output The total research output of PhASRec for 2015 increased from 43,98 to 53,83. This translates to an increase in the output per academic staff member from 2,81 single article equivalents to 2,99 in 2015.
Overall, the focus area produced 24,83 single article equivalents, up from the 18,89 of the previous year. The appointment of staff without at least a master’s degree, together with the increase in undergraduate student numbers, has a negative influence on the research output.
The increased productivity of our researchers can be partly attributed to the impact of two writing retreats that were hosted under the guidance of expert and extraordinary researchers. Seven papers were prepared for submission during each of the two retreats, and seven papers were accepted for publication.
Researchers have persevered in submitting their work to international journals and the rewards have been an increase from 16 to 20 in the number of articles published in international journals and an improvement in the cumulative impact factor, rising from 17,6 to 23,85. The strong presence of PhASRec in the subject field in South Africa is highlighted by the increase in the h-index for 2014 (5) and 2015 (9), based on a five-year average.
Partnerships and collaboration The input from collaborators on official appointment or individually as adjunct professors is a strength of PhASRec.
Prof Melainie Cameron from the Sunshine Coast University in Australia is helping to build research capacity through
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annual workshops that include writing workshops, time management and the supervision of postgraduate students. This appointment has resulted in one PhD qualification and one master’s qualification, with six manuscripts in review, as well as co-supervision of postgraduate students.
Dr Linda Caldwell from the USA was appointed within the Recreation programme in 2015 and will assist with expert input in project planning and the preparation of publications.
During 2015, researchers form Masaryk University in the Czech Republic visited PhASRec. The possibility of a collaboration will be investigated during 2016. Following a visit from staff of Maastricht University in the Netherlands, we are exploring possible collaboration in sport management, with potential internships at Potchefstroom. Relations with the Vrije University of Amsterdam were strengthened when Dr D Coetzee, a PhASRec researcher, was accepted for a postdoctoral fellowship with the Department of Human Movement Sciences.
Recognition and awards Prof Andries Monyeki obtained his NRF C3 rating as a researcher with international standing. This is indicative of his stature in the field of physical activity as a preventative measure in the obesity and malnutrition burden of South Africa.
Prof Hans de Ridder was appointed as the secretary general for a newly established sport sciences association focusing on knowledge from the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The Council of Exercise and Sport Science (BRICSCESS) was founded on 17 October 2015 during a meeting at the Manav Rachna International University in Delhi, India. The BRICSCESS is an international professional organisation which consists of professors, researchers, students, institutions, affiliates and other membership groups of the exercise and sports science.
Conclusion In summary, 2015 was a year in which PhASRec prepared for future growth by putting in place effective managerial
and quality control processes. The establishment of three subprogrammes led to improved communication between the focus area director and the various groups, resulting in more effective and participatory management.
The director was on study leave for the period from April to November to prepare her application for NRF rating in January 2016. Dr Weilbach was acting director at the time.
During 2015 the changes to the ethics processes posed a serious challenge to the researchers within PhASRec, with senior staff reporting a reduction in articles in review.
The effect of the increase in paperwork associated with the new processes is likely to be felt on the research output toward 2016 and 2017.
The greatest challenge that PhASRec has faced since our conception is the optimal use of our state-of-the-art equipment as there is no dedicated laboratory where this equipment can be used. This became an even bigger challenge in 2015, when the use of the High Performance Institute’s laboratory for training, research and service delivery resulted in less space being available with each service delivery contract signed. Currently the equipment is in storage due to a lack of space and is at risk of being damaged.
This situation restricts our ability to expand into new research areas, collaborate with colleagues internationally and attract high-quality students.
PhASRec wishes to establish an internationally accredited sport and exercise laboratory but, despite having all the necessary equipment, cannot apply for accreditation owing to the inadequacy of facilities where the equipment is used.
Despite these constraints, PhASRec is still one of the most productive research entities within the Faculty of Health Sciences. The shift within the health context to prevention rather than cure, is the ideal context for PhASRec to thrive as a research entity.
PROF HANLIE MOSSDirector: Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation (PhASRec)+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
Prof Martin E Palamuleni
IntroductionPopulation and Health is housed in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at the Mafikeng Campus. Our aim is to train social scientists and produce high-quality research, relevant to South Africa’s socio-economic and cultural development in particular and that of sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, with a view to informing policy-making for societal transformation.
The focus area deals with population change, family and health behaviours in the era of HIV/Aids and operates under three subprogrammes: Household and Population Dynamics, Poverty and HIV/Aids, and Quality of Life and Health.
Research highlightsIn 2015, the focus area continued to conduct research on pressing topics that affect both the health and quality of life of the population of South Africa.
Two main research projects were conducted. One was a research project conducted on all the three campuses of the North-West University on the “Role of spirituality and religion in positive youth behavioural outcomes in contemporary society: the case of university students in a South African university”.
The second major project involved the completion of a research project that was initiated by three postdoctoral fellows involved with the focus area. This research project was designed to ascertain NWU students’ perceptions of HIV/Aids prevention. The first phase of the project involved interviewing students at the Mafikeng Campus. During the second phase, completed in 2014, students at the Potchefstroom Campus were interviewed, while the third and final phase was carried out in 2015 by collecting data from students at the Vaal Triangle Campus.
Furthermore, members of the focus area were asked to critically review the Draft North West Provincial Research Policy, which was prepared by the Planning Commission in the Office of the Premier. Similarly, some of our members were involved in a project to strengthen the research capabilities of the North West Legislator.
Members of Population and Health attended and presented papers at national and international conferences. Of interest was the Three Minute Thesis Postgraduate Research Competition held at the University of the Free State from 26 to 27 August 2015. The main purpose of this
competition was to showcase postgraduate research across South African universities.
Skills basePopulation and Health brings together researchers from the School of Social Sciences, representing diverse disciplines such as population studies, development studies, psychology, social work and history.
We are proud of the fact that the number of rated researchers increased from two to three in 2015, when Professor Yaw Amoateng received a C2 rating. The two researchers with existing ratings are Professor Erhabor Idemudia (C3) and Prof Martin Palamuleni (C3).
During 2015, the focus area consisted of 19 members, comprising 12 academic staff and seven postdoctoral fellows. In addition, one part-time member was working on her doctoral research.
The focus area provided bursaries for 19 postgraduate students (nine master’s and 10 doctoral) in 2015. During the course of the academic year two doctoral students and one master’s student graduated. Of the remaining doctoral students three submitted their theses for examination and five are expected to submit in 2016. All but one master’s student submitted their theses for examination and are expected to graduate in 2016. By the end of the academic year only one master’s and four doctoral students were still studying.
Publication outputThe number of articles published in accredited peer-reviewed journals increased from 32 articles in 2014 to 35 articles in 2015. One member of the focus area served as guest editor of the African Population Studies journal.
Partnerships and collaborationPopulation and Health continued working with existing international collaborations and established new ones. International collaborations include links with the University of Botswana, the University of Nairobi in Kenya, University of Ibadan in Nigeria, the University of Ghana, the University of Southampton and Oxford University in the United Kingdom, Makerere University in Uganda and three USA universities, namely Brigham Young University,
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Missouri State University and the University of California, Los Angeles.
Recognition and awardsDuring the year 2015 Prof Erhabor Idemudia was recog-nised as being the most productive senior researcher in the faculty. In addition Prof Idemudia spent some time in Germany working on various research projects.
ConclusionThe focus area has successfully expanded its research activities through training, research and publications. Going forward, we will continue strengthening the
postgraduate and research programmes in demographic and population studies, development studies, psychology, social work and sociology, and endeavour to attract and retain talented students.
Our research activities have expanded from our base on the Mafikeng Campus to the Vaal Triangle and Potchefstroom campuses. In the coming years, our goal remains to promote intercampus collaboration and identify researchers from the other two campuses who are willing to join the research team.
PROF MARTIN E PALAMULENIActing Director: Population and Health+27 (0)18 389 [email protected]
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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
Prof Karin Minnie
IntroductionAs the first South African research entity to operate alongside a nursing school, INSINQ is able to produce research that is directly relevant to the healthcare challenges that confront nursing practitioners daily.
INSINQ also benefits from the high-level skills within the School of Nursing Science which, according to the last nationwide survey of the Forum for University Nursing Deans of South Africa (FUNDISA), had the second most PhD-qualified academic personnel in South Africa and the third highest outputs.
INSINQ has two focused research programmes that allow researchers to have a clear focus, supervise students within that focus and become experts in the field. Against that backdrop, researchers from INSINQ are content and methodological experts who are invited to present workshops at other universities, serve as external promoters and on national task teams, and sit on national and international boards, committees and colloquia.
Furthermore, Prof Hester Klopper, probably the best-known nurse in South Africa, if not in Africa, who until November 2015 served as the president of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honour Society for Nurses, is affiliated with the unit and is a mentor for our researchers.
Research highlightsOn international nurses’ day, the research of Prof Hester Klopper and Dr Siedine Coetzee was reported on in national newspapers, radio stations and the digital media. Similarly, Dr Welma Lubbe was interviewed for newspapers and radio stations during international breastfeeding week, and Dr Ronel Pretorius received local newspaper coverage on international resuscitation day, demonstrating the depth of expertise within INSINQ.
An added highlight is that a staff member graduated with a PhD in 2015, and two other staff members submitted their PhDs. Furthermore, 2015 proved to be the most productive year for article outputs in the three years since the focus area was established.
On 1 September, INSINQ hosted Dr Bruno Marchal from Antwerp, Belgium, who presented a workshop on realist research for researchers from different schools and entities across the Potchefstroom Campus.
Skills baseINSINQ has one full-time and three affiliated academic staff members. The other academic personnel work
primarily at the School of Nursing Science. Together, INSINQ and the school have 22 full-time staff members, 54,5% of whom have PhDs.
The supervision load is high. Senior researchers supervise anywhere between six and 14 postgraduate students, while junior researchers co-supervise at least one postgraduate student. Our intention is to clear the backlog of students and make postgraduate supervision loads more manageable by reducing the number of postgraduate students admitted to the programme and increasing the quality of students selected.
In 2015, 17 master’s and two doctoral students graduated. This was fewer than in previous years, but was an expected outcome due to the strategy of reducing student numbers and increasing student quality.
Publication output The publication output for INSINQ in 2015 was 15 articles, with a further four articles accepted or published online. This is extremely positive considering our publication history, which shows an article output of eight articles per year in both 2013 and 2014, meaning that this year’s output was almost 100% higher. Furthermore, in 2013 and 2014, the articles published were mostly national or African-based, with only five international articles over the two-year period. In 2015, the number of international articles increased to 12.
Partnerships and collaborationResearchers collaborated with numerous other NWU research entities, including the African Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR), Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation (PhASRec), Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN), the Unit for Reformed Theology and Workwell. Nationally, we collaborated with Wits University, the universities of the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Fort Hare, the Resuscitation Council of Southern Africa, Mediclinic Southern Africa and FUNDISA.
Prof Hester Klopper collaborated with the University of South Adelaide in Australia and Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Prof Siedine Coetzee collaborated with the University of South Adelaide and the University of Western Ontario in Canada. Prof Karin Minnie, Prof Christa van der Walt, Dr Antoinette du Preez and Dr Welma Lubbe collaborated in the European Union’s Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Actions.
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Recognition and awardsDr Belinda Scrooby was awarded a Sub-Saharan Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI) Scholarship. She became the first SAFRI fellow and the third person at the school/INSINQ to complete a postdoctoral fellowship.
Prof Siedine Coetzee received a Y2 rating from the NRF, becoming the first member of the School of Nursing Science or INSINQ to receive a rating.
Our esteemed affiliated researcher, Prof Hester Klopper, again upheld the name of INSINQ nationally and internationally. She received a distinguished service medallion for service excellence as president of Sigma Theta Tau International and was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) and a fellow of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).
Special projectsTwo researchers from INSINQ, Prof Petra Bester and Ms Jeannette Clase, collaborated with the NWU’s Medicine Usage in South Africa (MUSA) research entity to conduct contract research to assess the health information system of the North West Province Department of Health. This was our first formal collaboration with another NWU research entity and we anticipate more such projects.
Prof Hester Klopper and Prof Siedine Coetzee finalised an agreement with the nursing executive of Mediclinic Southern Africa, Dr Estelle Coustas, to conduct nurse outcome research in Mediclinic hospitals across South Africa.
ConclusionFrom this report, it is evident that INSINQ has developed substantially since its establishment in 2013. This was despite a difficult period with management changes at the School of Nursing Science in 2014 and 2015, and the loss of several senior researchers to retirement, other units in the university and other campuses.
At INSINQ, we have successfully focused our research programmes, strategically changed the recruitment and delivery of postgraduate students, marketed ourselves internationally and nationally and increased our outputs.
PROF KARIN MINNIEDirector: INSINQ+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
Prof Elsa Mentz
Introduction Self-Directed Learning (SDL) has recently become an important issue in education because of the rapidly changing education demands of the 21st century, which require students to take responsibility for their own learning and to be equipped with lifelong learning skills.
Although most higher education institutions acknowledge that new and innovative teaching and learning strategies should be utilised to meet changing education demands, the traditional teacher-centred teaching and learning practice is still the norm in most South African universities.
We are the only institution in South Africa focusing specifically on SDL research in order to advise on ways in which students can be assisted to take more responsibility for their own learning. We aim to broaden the body of knowledge on SDL in the world, especially on the African continent.
We have a large number of knowledgeable academics focusing on different but connected aspects of SDL. Senior researchers lead the eight subprogrammes, which form an integral matrix that makes close collaboration possible among the various researchers and informs the research on SDL.
Subprogramme leaders are constantly busy expanding their focus through new research projects, and we are recruiting more postgraduate students and extending collaboration with international scholars in the field.
Research highlights Three new senior staff members joined the focus area during 2015. Prof Josef de Beer, who is NRF rated, was appointed as research professor, while Prof Jako Olivier was appointed as associate professor in the Faculty of Education Science.
Prof Kobus Lombard also joined the SDL focus area as staff member of the Vaal Triangle Campus.
Two staff members received NRF rating in 2015, and five staff members were promoted (one to associate professor). In addition, two staff members received their doctoral degrees and four staff members completed their MEd degrees.
The depth of our research was evident in two newly approved subprogrammes and two new NRF projects to the value of R2,4 million, as well as two faculty-approved projects.
Skills baseSelf-Directed Learning has grown from 16 active research-ers in 2014 to 23 active researchers who hold PhDs. A further 12 staff members are registered for postgraduate studies. Both the research director, Prof Elsa Mentz, and the newly appointed research professor, Prof Josef de Beer, are NRF-rated researchers. A total of 42 MEd and PhD students were enrolled with the focus area and nine students obtained their degrees in 2015.
Publication output In 2015, our researchers published 18 articles in accredited journals compared to the nine articles of 2014. A further 12 articles were accepted for publication in accredited journals in 2015. A total of 10 international and eight national conference papers were presented by our members in 2015, compared to the nine international and nine national conferences of 2014.
As in 2014, one international conference proceeding was also published. One book chapter was published and a total of 13 book chapters were accepted in 2015 compared to the one accepted in 2014.
The 2014 return on output (calculated on all academic staff) of 0,955 exceeded the 0,5 target that was set. The 2015 publication output (calculated on HEMIS data) of 1,982 exceeded the 1,00 target that was set for 2015.
Partnerships and collaboration During 2015, we broadened our network of international researchers who collaborate and assist in capacity building and project development. Prof Lucy Guglielmino from Florida Atlantic University and Prof Elsa Mentz are co-editors of an SDL book in which nine SDL researchers will publish chapters.
Prof Iman Chahine, who is an expert on ethno-mathematics from Georgia State University, was involved in the presentation of scholarly workshops and a guest lecture, and acts as co-researcher in an NRF project of Prof Josef de Beer. An initial discussion on formal collaboration with Georgia State University resulted in an invitation to visit the university in February 2016 when the establishment of an MoU will be discussed.
Both Prof Harm Tillema from Leiden University in the Netherlands and Prof David Carless, an internationally recognised scholar in assessment in higher education from
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the University of Hong Kong, were invited to conduct workshops on assessment. Prof Carless is also involved in the planning of a research project on assessment for SDL.
In addition, the focus area invited Prof Mona-Lisa Dahms, well known for her research on problem-based learning, from Aalborg University in Denmark, to conduct a workshop on problem-based learning. She is also involved in the development of a new focus area research project on problem-based learning.
Recognition and awards Prof Josef de Beer presented his inaugural lecture in 2015, entitled “Crossing boundarised epistemologies in science education: The affordances of indigenous knowledge”. He was also selected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) in 2015. The RSB is the leading professional body for biologists in the United Kingdom. Fellowship is limited to a select group of eminent scientists who embody expertise in biology.
Special projects During 2015, we planned a focus area book publication and an international SDL book publication involving a total of 22 SDL researchers. The review processes took place in 2015, with a view to publishing them in 2016. The books are being co-edited by the director, Prof Elsa Mentz.
Prof Mentz received NRF funding of R1,04m for a project running from 2014 to 2016 on cooperative learning strategies to promote self-directed learning. Together with co-researchers from Unisa and the University of Pretoria, this research was made known at various international conferences.
Four Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) projects, two faculty projects on SDL and a project in collaboration with the Royal Bafokeng are part of the research projects of SDL. Prof Hercules Nieuwoudt is involved in a project on the impact of the Science, Engineering, Technology and Health (SETH) Academy. Each of these projects contributes to a better understanding of an aspect of SDL.
Two project applications of Prof Josef de Beer, to the value of R2,4 million, were approved by the NRF at the end of
2015. These hold great possibilities for the improvement of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning in South Africa and include co-researchers from the Mafikeng Campus, two other South African universities and Georgia State University in the USA. Through this project Prof Josef de Beer will undoubtedly make a notable national and international contribution to the study of indigenous knowledge.
Conclusion The subprogramme leaders are playing a vital role in capacity building among young and upcoming researchers, strengthening the research focus and, together with the research director, acting as mentors to young researchers.
Furthermore, the focus area sponsored staff development workshops in order to ensure the professional development of young and upcoming researchers. Through expanding international collaboration and networking, we have become a participant in the SDL discourse internationally. In the South African context research relevant to the country’s challenges has also been done.
We managed to establish a strong coherence and a spirit of research collaboration during 2015. Our strongest feature is the wholehearted cooperation of all members in the best interest of the focus area. Our scheduled monthly meetings motivate our members and promote collaboration.
During 2016 we will continue to provide staff develop-ment and support to enhance research outputs. One of the highlights of 2016 will be the publication of the inter-national SDL book that will include research on SDL in a South African context.
I would like to acknowledge all the researchers for their dedication and support and the NWU for financial assistance.
PROF ELSA MENTZ Director: Self-Directed Learning (SDL)+27 (0)18 299 4780 / 083 660 [email protected]
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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
Prof André Duvenhage
IntroductionThe transformation of communities towards sustainable societies is a holistic endeavour. Government, the private sector and individuals each have valuable and unique roles to play in stimulating and facilitating development.
The research focus area Social Transformation focuses on the creation of new knowledge pertaining to the social realm, in particular the interactions between role players and the social dynamics between them. We facilitate multi-disciplinary research, evaluating the developmental roles and social responsibilities of government, the private sector and communities in the context of the developing world, particularly South Africa.
Research highlightsTwo years ago, we restructured our suite of research programmes in line with the recommendations of the external audit conducted in 2013. With this restructuring completed, 2015 was characterised by research planning and organisation. Researchers and programme leaders convened in their various programmes and developed strategic and academic themes for each of the newly constituted programmes.
Given that this is a period of reorganisation and realign-ment, there has been considerable fluidity and creativity in the redesignation of research priorities. There is no doubt that this process has opened up organisational space for research creativity and collaboration, which bodes well for the future and sustainability of the focus area.
For individual researchers within Social Transformation, there were also several research highlights in 2015. Prof Kobus du Pisani’s NRF rating was renewed for another term. Additionally, six of the Faculty of Art’s 10 most productive researchers of the past year were from Social Transformation, and were honoured during the faculty’s annual awards ceremony.
Skills baseIn a continuation of medium-term strategic priorities, many Social Transformation researchers were busy completing postgraduate qualifications during 2015, and it was encouraging to see rapid progress in this regard. Approximately 60% of our researchers now have doctoral degrees – a statistic that compares favourably in the greater NWU research environment.
The various postgraduate programmes within Social Transformation collectively produced 30 master’s graduates and 10 PhD graduates. This represents an unprecedented cohort of graduates for the focus area, and the supervisors involved are to be congratulated on these excellent results.
Additionally, 89 new postgraduate students were provi-sionally accepted during 2015, which means that a total of 167 students are now enrolled under the auspices of Social Transformation.
Focus area researchers who contributed to books during the 2014/15 research cycle include Prof JA du Pisani, Prof G van der Waldt, Prof ES van Eeden, Prof HG van Dijk, Ms CH de Wet and Mr C Blignaut.
Publication outputThe focus area produced 39,4 article outputs for the 2015 research cycle (as of January 2016). These article outputs are somewhat lower than the 61,34 articles from the 2014 cycle.
The difference can be attributed to the reconfiguration of the research programmes, but is counterbalanced by the growth of postgraduate outputs for the same period, which stood at 48 equivalents. This dynamic emphasises the mutually reinforcing and reciprocal relationship between research and postgraduate supervision as key components of the focus area’s core business.
ConclusionThe past year was one of significant challenges, all of which were successfully negotiated.
The 2015 research cycle delivered a total research output of 87,4 credits. After the output peaks of the preceding two years, there appears to be consensus that this year’s figure represents a fair reflection of the focus area’s consistent output potential.
Furthermore, we look forward to evaluating the restructured research programmes in the next year, with the goal of harnessing the focus area’s research expertise more efficiently.
PROF ANDRÉ DUVENHAGEDirector: Social Transformation+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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IntroductionTRADE had a very successful 2015, expanding the scope and depth of its research in fields such as Global Value Chains, trade facilitation and services trade in Africa under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Chairs Programme, disseminating research findings to more physical and virtual audiences, and forging new partnerships with global and regional entities.
These included the Geneva-based International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), the Gaborone-based Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) and the United Nations University’s World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER). TRADE also improved its status within the NWU with a reclassification from research niche area to research focus area.
Where TRADE makes a particularly valuable contribution is by focusing strongly on the complex dynamics and interdependence between trade and economic development. This is an area of undisputed importance and growing concern to government and business leaders throughout southern Africa.
The awarding of the WTO Chair has been especially ben-eficial in sensitising the TRADE team to the importance of active engagement with policymakers and practitioners, and of maintaining a research agenda that reflects global concerns about how trade can be used as the launching pad for growth and sustainable development.
Research highlights Prof Wilma Viviers and two colleagues were invited to present a paper at the WTO’s 5th Global Review of Aid for Trade in Geneva. Their paper explained the rationale and practical application of the Decision Support Model (DSM) – the flagship of TRADE’s research and advisory services which identifies high-potential export opportunities using a sophisticated data filtering system. The DSM was hailed in Geneva as an innovative aid for trade facilitation in view of its innate ability to streamline market selection decisions.
TRADE hosted several successful events, including two roundtables on the theme of Global Value Chains, which brought together government, business and academia from national, regional and international organisations. These events gave rise to a number of high-level and widely circulated research outputs, including a policy brief on the dangers of ongoing policy uncertainty in South Africa.
Skills baseDuring 2015, the TRADE research team comprised 17 permanent members (12 primary and five secondary participants), as well as nine extraordinary members. Three of the primary participants have NRF ratings.
TRADE had 15 master’s students and eight PhD students enrolled in 2015, with six of the master’s students and four of the PhD students obtaining their degrees, including Dr Johnny van der Merwe, who is a primary participant of TRADE.
Postgraduate students benefited from a number of training opportunities. Two presenters from the WTO conducted a course on the use of the STATA statistical program, as part of the curriculum development pillar of the WTO Chairs Programme. In addition, several postgraduate students received training in various computer software packages, while master’s and PhD students attended a short course in academic writing skills.
Publication outputThe TRADE research team produced 27 accredited pub-lications, made up of 26 articles in accredited journals and one accredited conference paper. This worked out at 19,24 article equivalents for the year. Taking into account the six master’s degrees and four PhDs awarded, the total research output (TRO) stood at 37,24. Furthermore, 11 international and 20 national conference papers were delivered in 2015.
Partnerships and collaborationTRADE continued to consolidate and grow our local and international networks.
The North West Provincial Government and the North West Development Corporation commissioned TRADE to develop a manufacturing strategy for the province, focusing on ways to boost production capacity, jobs and economic growth.
In addition, two members of TRADE teamed up with researchers from Stellenbosch University to participate in a UNU-WIDER and National Treasury project aimed at extracting firm-level data from tax records to reveal sectors with strong export growth potential. Both projects have the potential to make a significant contribution to provincial and national growth targets.
RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
Prof Wilma Viviers
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TRADE agreed on the practical frameworks for collaboration with two respected foreign entities with which it has MoUs. They are the Maastricht School of Management (MSM) in the Netherlands and the International College of the National Institute of Development Administration (ICO-NIDA) in Bangkok, Thailand.
During the year, we also met our research, curriculum development and outreach commitments under the WTO Chairs Programme.
As these international collaborations are of a fairly extended nature or are ongoing, the prospects of reciprocal knowledge transfer are particularly good.
Special projectsTRADE commenced work on or completed a number of special projects aimed at building a stronger financial base and expanding our partnership network.
Special projects initiated in 2015 include the development of a country paper for the ICTSD on service sectors in Botswana with high-growth and sustainable development prospects. TRADE also developed tailored, subscription-based Decision Support Models for South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) and the BITC in Botswana.
Special projects completed in 2015 include an investiga-tion into the potential of the agriculture, culture and tourism industries in the North West Province to boost economic development at the local and provincial level. This was conducted for the Department of Finance, Economy and Enterprise Development.
We also identified realistic export opportunities for agri cultural products in the major group HS08 – Edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit or melons, for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Two other completed projects were the development of a quarterly publication, Agbiz, on the impact of political risk on South Africa’s agriculture sector and a project updating the inventory of export restrictions on industrial materials. This was for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Recognition and awardsA number of awards were presented in 2015 to deserving candidates under the auspices of the WTO Chairs Programme: the best PhD thesis (Dr Ernst Idsardi), the best master’s dissertation (Mr Francois van Heerden), the most promising honours student (Mr Gabriel Mhonyera), and the best WTO-related paper (Prof Wilma Viviers and Ms Antoinette van der Merwe). All these awards recognised research excellence in fields relating to multilateral and regional trade relationships and development patterns.
ConclusionThe TRADE research focus area showed strong momentum in 2015, helped by a committed and growing team of researchers, strong leadership, additional administrative support and a supportive university environment.
The clear goals and targets set out in the WTO Chair work programme helped to keep the operation firmly on track, while a more varied and proactive marketing effort (in the form of an enhanced website, the launch of an electronic newsletter and an active Twitter account) has helped to keep TRADE’s activities and accomplishments in the public eye.
The TRADE team members receive personalised attention when it comes to their career development aspirations and targets, and have many opportunities to participate in local and international conferences and other events, receive relevant training and specialise in areas where they believe they can add particular value. Juggling teaching and research commitments remains a challenge for many team members, but careful time management and the encouragement of collaborative ventures to ease individuals’ research loads have already borne fruit.
For more details on TRADE and its various activities, see www.nwu.ac.za/trade and follow us on Twitter: @NWU_TRADE
PROF WILMA VIVIERS Director: TRADE+ 27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA
Prof Susan Coetzee-Van Rooy
IntroductionThis research focus area examines the use of language in South Africa, with special emphasis on the reciprocal relationship between language and society.
The results of the research are used to inform the theoretical understanding of the way language and society relate, as well as the processes that shape the form and meaning of language as a unique attribute of the human species.
Given the uniqueness of the South African context, with extensive multilingualism, we make a contribution to the theories about language by capitalising on the opportunities in the multilingual environment to extend current thinking that is, in contemporary research, often limited by attention to monolingual contexts or contexts where bilingualism is a marginal and transitional phenomenon.
UPSET combines sociolinguistic and sociological methods with corpus research and psycholinguistic methods for investigating the products of language use, but also the processes that give rise to these products.
Our research is based on language surveys, specialised corpora, such as our unique historical corpora of South African English and Afrikaans and our translation and editing corpora, as well as the eye-tracking laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment to study language processing more directly.
Research highlightsThe publication output in 2015 was somewhat below 2014, but the focus area continues to aim for quality research output in mainstream international journals and books. A number of important publications appeared in journals where our researchers have not published before, expanding the publication footprint of the group. For the fourth time in six years, an UPSET student won the award for the best dissertation in the humanities. The 2015 institutional winner was Ms Caroline Piotrowska.
Skills baseUPSET is a small focus area, with three rated researchers in 2015, one of whom is an extraordinary professor. Besides the permanent staff, UPSET has two extra-ordinary professors, former colleagues, who contribute to
postgraduate supervision and collaborative research with the permanent colleagues in the focus area.
In addition, there are a further four active researchers with PhDs, as well as a number of staff members and post-graduate students who already contribute significantly to research output without having completed doctoral degrees. In general, UPSET has a relatively young group of researchers, where staff and students collaborate closely in a collegial environment and where capacity building is an important consideration.
Publication outputResearch output in UPSET declined in 2015 compared to 2014. This is in part due to fluctuations in publication numbers inherent to smaller groups, but also the result of two resignations of senior researchers in recent years, leaving a gap in mentoring within the focus area that has not yet been resolved.
The number of postgraduate students completing remained steady, with two PhDs and three MA degrees being awarded to students who completed their research in UPSET.
Partnerships and collaborationIn 2015, UPSET continued with the focus of increasing international contact and exchange for staff and students. The following international visits to UPSET took place in 2015:
Z Potsdam University: Professor Hans-Georg Wolf, Mr Arne Peters (a PhD student) and 10 fourth-year BA and first-year MA students visited UPSET in April 2015.
Z Utrecht University: Ms Floor Kolsteeg completed her MA internship in intercultural communication under the supervision of Prof Susan Coetzee-Van Rooy and Dr Rias van den Doel from April to June 2015.
Z Chemnitz University: Dr Matthias Hoffman presented training in the use of the R statistical package, and consulted with staff and students about research designs in September 2015.
Z Lund University: Professor Kenneth Holmqvist, the international leader in eye-tracking research, provided introductory courses on eye-tracking research and consulted with staff and students about the design of eye-tracking research projects in October 2015.
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Recognition and awardsIn 2015, Ms Caroline Piotrowska was awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Medal for the best MA in the Faculties of Humanities at the NWU. The title of her dissertation is: “A diachronic analysis of the progressive aspect in Black South African English”. She was supervised by Prof Bertus van Rooy. Ms Piotrowska’s award is the fourth award for the best MA that has been won by an UPSET student over the six years of its existence as NWU focus area.
Dr Anita Worrall was awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Medal for her breakthrough research that proved the cognitive benefits of bilingualism. She was nominated by Prof Susan Coetzee-Van Rooy and Prof Mary Grosser from the School of Education Sciences.
Prof Susan Coetzee-Van Rooy was re-evaluated by the NRF and received a C1 rating. She was also appointed as the convener of the NRF rating panel for literature, languages and linguistics.
ConclusionUPSET had to regroup in 2015 to absorb the loss of two of its senior and active researchers in 2013 and
2014, with significant impact on output and growth. The management load on some staff imposes further constraints on the available time for research capacity building and the completion of research projects, particularly in the context of institutional restructuring.
Plans were put in place to free up time for the focus area director and school director to take research leave in 2016. Prof Bertus van Rooy will act as UPSET director during the first semester and as director of the School of Languages from October to December during the second semester of 2016.
In the long term, it is believed that from 2019 onwards, UPSET’s outputs would increase because most of its staff would then hold PhDs. Plans and strategies are being implemented to build capacity and retain staff as best we can to keep the focus area on track.
PROF SUSAN COETZEE-VAN ROOYDirector: Understanding and Processing Language in Complex Settings (UPSET)+ 27 (0)16 910 [email protected]
UPSET publication profile (2010-2014) 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Journals (ISI & IBSS) 6,5 (8) 4,5 (5) 7 (7) 8,5 (9) 10,5 (11) 5 (6)
Journals (DoE) 1 (2) 3,33 (4) 0,5 (1) 2,5 (3) 5,5 (6) 1 (1)
Book chapters (international) 0,32 (1) 0,62 (2) ±1 (3)
Proceedings (international) 0,5 (1)
Books 1
Article equivalents 7,5 (10) 8,15 (10) 7,5 (8) 11,5 (13) 16,62 (19) 7 (10)
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Introduction Food security is enshrined in the South African Constitution, giving every South African citizen the right to adequate food, water and social security. While South Africa is considered a food secure country, it faces a number of food security challenges, particularly income instability of poor households, inadequate household food production, the absence of a structured system for dealing with food security disasters, and poor nutritional status.
Food Security and Safety on the Mafikeng Campus has a strong focus on promoting food security at household level and in the smallholder farming sector, especially by researching ways to improve crop production.
Research highlights Food Security and Safety undertook some important research projects during 2015. These projects included Dr Sinah Modirwa’s work on promoting information and communication through agricultural extension and Prof Funso Kutu’s research on improving crop production practices, particularly in the smallholder farming sector. Dr Khosi Ramachela’s project on oyster mushroom production has attracted considerable public and scholarly attention for its contribution to food security among households.
Other major projects were Dr Majola Mabuza’s research on food accessibility and affordability in Mozambique, Malawi, Swaziland and South Africa, and Prof Collins Ateba’s study on effective bio-control agents. The latter entails investigating how to isolate, characterise and determine the lytic capabilities of endemic bacteriophages that can serve as effective bio-control agents against antibiotic-resistant and shiga-toxigenic E. coli isolates. The main aim is to prepare bacteriophage concoctions for the purpose of commercialisation.
The team has close ties with small-scale farmers in several provinces and assists them by providing services such as soil fertility assessments, project evaluations, veterinary services and outreach, and technology transfer in fields such as mushroom production and biofuels.
Staff and studentsThe focus area has a strong, diversified skills base, encompassing various disciplines pertinent to food security, such as mycotoxicology, microbiology, soil science
and plant analysis, livestock science, agriculture and food science and nutrition.
Two of our nine full-time researchers are NRF rated, namely Prof Olubukola Oluranti Babalola (C3) and Prof Simeon Materechera (C2).
During 2015, a total of 52 students from Southern Africa, other African countries, Asia and the Middle East were registered with Food Security and Safety. Of these, 32 were master’s students and 20 were busy with their PhDs.
Five of these students (three master’s and two doctoral) completed their theses or dissertations in 2015 on topics such as the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat meat sold in Mahikeng, and fungal and mycotoxin contamination of maize from small-scale and commercial farmers in the North West Province.
Publication outputTotal research output for the year stood at 15 units, comprising articles published in accredited journals and completed master’s and doctoral qualifications.
Some of our 2015 work was published in journals with impact factors above 2. Listed among the 2015 publications were the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (impact factor of 2,063), Frontiers in Microbiology (3,989), Journal of Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (5,176), Journal of Dairy Science (2,573), International Journal of Food Microbiology (3,082), Research in Microbiology (2,705), Microbiological Research (2,561) and International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2,862).
During 2015, several of our staff members presented papers at major international conferences such as the 29th Effost International Conference in Greece in November 2015, the 18th International Plant Protection Congress in Berlin, Germany in August 2015, and the International Conference and Exhibition on Biotechnology in Hyderabad, India, also in August.
We also presented papers at Rhizosphere 4 in the Netherlands in June, the SUTTMA 8 International Congress in Mexico City in September, the First International Symposium on Moringa in the Philippines in November and the International Symposium on Methods for Studying Drug Metabolism, Transport and African Traditional Medicine in Pretoria, South Africa, in November.
RESEARCH NICHE AREA
Prof Olubukola Babalola
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Partnerships and collaborationThe research niche area thrives on collaboration, not only with our peers in the scholarly community but also with communities, farmers and extension agents confronting the daily challenge of addressing food insecurity. An example of the latter is how Dr Sinah Modirwa works with farmers and extension agents to devise innovative solutions to the day-to-day challenges farmers face.
Scholarly collaboration spans local, regional and international partners, and offers valuable opportunities for joint research, as well as for training and development for our master’s and doctoral students.
Through our collaboration with the Lethbridge Research Station in Alberta, Canada, the niche area received R1,38 million to expand targeted projects and train master’s and doctoral students, who will gain international exposure through exchange laboratory visits. We have also established laboratory collaborations with McGill University in Quebec, Canada and with the University of Buea in Cameroon.
Prof Funso Kutu’s work on soil fertility and fertilizer use on tea estates has led to collaboration with the Tea Research Association of India. This international project also involves the participation of colleagues from the University of Limpopo as South African co-investigators and selected industrial partners). In addition, both the national and provincial departments of Agriculture provided critical support in ensuring effective research project implementation, student supervision and the training of postgraduate students on the use of specialised equipment.
The progress made in oyster mushroom production is of great interest to a number of players in the food security arena, who have expressed interest in establishing research collaboration with the NWU. Among them are the University of Namibia (the SANBIO Node in the SADC region on mushroom research) and the South African Working Group on Bio fortification: Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU).
Recognition and awardsDr Khosi Ramachela’s research on oyster mushroom production received coverage on 13 national electronic and print media, as well as on several radio stations.
Prof Olubukola Babalola, Prof Funso Kutu and Dr Mulunda Mwanza received National Research Foundation grants to pursue collaborative research with institutions in Argentina, India, China and Egypt.
Prof Babalola received the South Africa /Argentina Joint Science and Technology Research grant totalling R450 000 over a two-year period, 2014 to 2016, to prospect, identify and characterise cellulases coding gene for obtaining bioethanol.
Prof Funso Kutu received R450 000 over a three-year period until 30 April 2017 for tea research with a focus on soil fertility assessment and fertilizer use for sustainable production and health safety.
Dr Mwanza was awarded a grant of R300 000 for 2015 and 2016 to determine the new strain causing mastitis in farming and correlate it with AFM1 contamination in milk. This is in collaboration with Prof HanBo of China Agriculture University. Dr Mwanza also received R298 000 for the NRF South Africa–Egypt 2013-2015 research exchange project to develop and implement rapid test methods for aflatoxin M1 detection in milk from semi-arid areas in Egypt and South Africa. For this project, which ran from 2013 to 2015, he worked actively with Dr Ahmed Mustafa of the Elazar University, Assiut.
Conclusion The drought that has gripped much of Southern Africa since 2015 has underlined the precariousness of food security in the region, especially among vulnerable households and communities. The niche area strives to make a meaningful contribution to improving food security and safety, and has achieved several successes, not the least of which is the oyster mushroom production project.
A few of our current challenges include the inadequate state of research infrastructure, such as land, irrigation and greenhouse facilities. Nevertheless, the strong moral, material and financial support from the Campus Management remains a source of hope and strength.
PROF OLUBUKOLA O BABALOLADirector: Food Security and Safety+27 (0)18 389 2568 [email protected]
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RESEARCH NICHE AREA
Prof Martie Lubbe
IntroductionMedicine Usage in South Africa (MUSA) has the unique research purpose of seeking to understand the factors that influence the appropriate use of medicines by patients within the context of Southern African healthcare.
MUSA was established as a niche area in 2008, and is making a significant contribution towards addressing the challenges that the healthcare system of South Africa is facing on several fronts. These challenges include the rapid growth in healthcare expenditure, particularly medicine costs, a lack of access to essential medicines, an increased burden of chronic and communicable diseases such as HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases, and the use, misuse or irrational use of medicine.
MUSA aims to help find solutions to these challenges by conducting research in two subprogrammes, namely Medicine Resource Research and Medicine Outcomes Research.
Medicine Resource Research investigates all health system, process and resource-related factors that influence appropriate medicine usage among individual patients and communities and in healthcare systems. The indicators we focus on are equity, accessibility, affordability and availability of pharmaceutical services that support the appropriate use of medicine in both the public and private healthcare sectors.
Medicine Outcomes Research is applied clinical and population-based research that seeks to study and optimise the outcomes of medicines therapy in terms of benefit to the patient and society. The intent is to identify medicine usage practices and to develop strategies to improve healthcare.
Our specific competencies and expertise are pharmaceutical care and health, clinical pharmacy, drug utilisation review, pharmaceutical cost analysis, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacovigilance, medicine supply management, pharmaceutical services, health education and social and psychological aspects of medicine usage.
Research highlightsMUSA’s research activities are relevant to South Africa and the broader Southern African region. During the year, we continued to identify and compare medicine cost and utilisation patterns in the public and private sectors, evaluate the impact of policy decisions on the
equitability, affordability and availability of medicine, investigate various factors that affect the appropriate use of medicine, and develop pharmaceutical care models to improve appropriate medicine usage.
These activities resulted in the niche area achieving the highest publication output since being established in 2008.
MUSA, in collaboration with researchers from Quality in Nursing and Midwifery (INSINQ) and the Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR), successfully completed the research project, “Assessment of the district health information system in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Bojanala platinum districts in the North West Province”. This project was funded by the Belgium-South African Study & Consultancy Fund, which is a clear indication of the practical relevance and quality of our research within the South African healthcare context.
Two of our MPharm (Pharmacy Practice) students won the first and second prizes in the Young Scientist of the Year Award at the 2015 Annual Conference of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences of South Africa.
Skills base MUSA’s research component comprises 12 primary and four emerging researchers, along with 22 MPharm and five PhD students. One researcher has a C3 rating from the National Research Foundation.
An analysis of the profile of 2015 postgraduate students shows that 69% were females, 35% were black, coloured or Indian, and 19% were international students from Lesotho, Ghana and Namibia. Between 2010 and 2015, there has been an increase of between 17% and 35% in the number of black, coloured and Indian students, and of 12,5% to 19% in the number of international postgraduate students.
Publication outputsMost of our research outputs grew substantially in 2015. Eleven papers were published in peer-reviewed national or international accredited journals. Participation of NWU authors resulted in 5,9 article equivalents , which works out at 0,5 article equivalents per member. Most of our articles (64%) were published in international ISI journals with an average impact factor of 1,41. Six MPharm students completed their studies with distinction and three PhD students completed their studies.
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Partnerships and collaborationWe follow a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach in order to strengthen the impact of our research on the healthcare industry and the scientific community. This approach allows for the combination of expertise and different points of view of diverse researchers to promote strong teamwork.
A number of ongoing collaborative partnerships were of prime importance in facilitating MUSA’s access to different practice-related data and facilities. These partners are Mediscor PBM (Pty) Ltd, a pharmacy benefit management company, HeXoR (Pty) Ltd, a private health economic consultation company, the South African Pharmacy Council, and the North West Department of Health and the Belgium-South African Study & Consultancy Fund. The purpose of the latter collaboration was to assess the Health Information System in the North West Province in 2014 and 2015.
During 2015, MUSA also cooperated with other pharmacy schools in the training of postgraduate students, including
the National University of Lesotho, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of Cape Town.
ConclusionMUSA’s research and postgraduate training are highly pertinent to the healthcare system of Southern Africa as our primary focus is on factors that may influence appropriate medicine usage and cost.
We are rapidly gaining momentum as a research entity striving for scientific excellence and contributing meaningfully to the improvement of private and public sector healthcare systems in South Africa.
PROF MARTIE S LUBBEDirector: Medicine Usage in South Africa (MUSA)+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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RESEARCH NICHE AREA
Prof Efe Useh
Introduction The niche area on the diseases of lifestyle was approved in 2014 and embraces disciplines across the health sciences, nursing, agricultural sciences and technology, and human and social sciences.
The subthemes include non-communicable diseases, referring to lifestyle-related conditions that are largely preventable. Unequivocal evidence exists that the combination of health policy at the societal level and health education at the individual and family level related to smoking cessation, optimal nutrition, weight control, physical activity and exercise, optimal sleep and stress management, would largely prevent, manage and in some cases reverse these conditions as indicated by Dean et al 2011. Non-communicable diseases are significant contributors to the increased morbidity and mortality of South Africans.
The second subtheme is violence, injuries, trauma and psychological intervention. There is no doubt that violence against women and girls is a significant public health problem globally. Global statistics suggest that one in three women experience some kind of sexual, physical or psychological assault in their lifetime (UNFPA, 2000). Globally, 20% to 40% of women have experienced sexual assault by men other than their partners during their lifetime. The situation is not significantly different in South Africa.
The third subtheme consists of social aspects, manage-ment of disability and interprofessional care. The latter, which focuses on care through the assessment and quantification of the health-related quality of life of people living with HIV and Aids, seldom receives attention in the management of HIV and Aids. Interprofessional care is important as high incidences of the different diseases of lifestyle are found among people living with HIV and Aids and the link between domestic violence, HIV, trauma and lifestyles diseases has been documented.
Thus, this niche area harmonises the management of non-communicable diseases, trauma and impairment through interprofessional care.
Research highlightsThe key research highlight of this year was the completion of a cross-sectional survey on factors contributing to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) amongst 150 nurses in a rural community of the North West Province.
This project, undertaken by Ms Betty Ellen Phetoe, an MSc student within the niche, had the support of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) and Pfizer International. This study investigated the influence of selected socio-demographic characteristics of NCDs and sought to establish a relationship between risk factors as predictors of NCDs among nurses.
This study found no significant association between selected socio-demographic characteristics of age, sex, income, job type, experiences and qualifications of nurses and NCDs. There was also no significant association between dietary habits, anthropometric measurements and NCDs. It was concluded that the outcome of the study must have been influenced by the involvement of participants in the hospital’s structured physical activity and wellness programme.
Another highlight was the PhD completed by Ms Nanzen CC Kaphagawani on nursing students’ clinical learning experiences in selected colleges in Malawi. The study highlighted the implications of policy in Malawi with a view to reviewing strategies for effective clinical practice and building capacity for clinical supervisors.
Lifestyle Diseases also received an award from the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) as project adviser for prevention and promotion of non-communicable diseases in 2014.
Skills baseDuring 2015, Lifestyle diseases had 18 full-time members, 13 of whom had PhDs. Two of these members were postdoctoral fellows. The other five full-time members consisted of two master’s and three doctoral students. The participants are mainly from the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology.
Research publicationsThe niche area produced a total of 14 articles as research output for the 2014 cycle and 18 for the 2015 research cycle. As Lifestyle Diseases was only approved as a research entity in 2014, it is expected that each of the subthemes will improve on its research output going forward.
Partnerships and collaborationOur research collaborators in located both nationally and internationally. Among them are the Thohoyandou Victim
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Empowerment Programme and Mafikeng Thuthuzela Care Centre and University of California (UCLA) Psychology Research Unit. Our collaborative network also includes the University of Ghana, Sefako Makgatho University in South Africa, the NWU Population and Health unit at the NWU, the North West Provincial Department of Health and the Medical Research Council of South Africa.
Conclusion The subthemes within Lifestyle Diseases have contributed to scholarship in the field and produced five master’s
and doctoral students in the different disciplines. It is hoped that more research outputs will be achieved and that more postgraduate students will graduate as the niche consolidates both national and international collaborations. Lifestyle Diseases is also preparing to develop a unique model of interprofessional care in South Africa.
PROF EFE USEH Director: Lifestyle Diseases +27 (0)18 389 [email protected]
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RESEARCH NICHE AREA
Prof Marelie Davel
IntroductionThe Multilingual Speech Technologies (MuST) research niche area specialises in the creation and use of speech technology for the less resourced languages of the world, with a technology focus on speech to text and text to speech.
MuST collaborates widely, both locally and internationally. Along with partners such as the CSIR Meraka Institute, we have played a leading role in the creation of speech resources for the 11 official languages of South Africa. We also intend to be the leading provider of automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems in the South African languages.
Consisting mostly of computer scientists and engineers, MuST is based at the Vaal Triangle Campus and has a satellite research office in Hermanus in the Western Cape.
Research highlightsSince MuST is a project-oriented environment, research outputs are aligned with specific projects. The main projects of 2015 were the speech transcription platform for South Africa’s Parliament, collaboration with the South African Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and international projects for BABEL and Google.
Z Speech transcription platform for ParliamentA R4 million contract was awarded to the MuST team for the development of an automated speech transcription environment in Parliament. This platform is being developed to create draft transcriptions of parliamentary debates and includes various specialised speech tech nology modules. The first prototype was completed and successfully demonstrated to stakeholders in 2015. The project is sponsored by the South African Department of Arts and Culture.
Z CAIRMuST joined the South African Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR) in 2015. This DST centre of excellence is hosted by the CSIR, with the aim of supporting and enhancing collaboration among tertiary institutions working in the field of artificial intelligence.
MuST is currently focusing its CAIR efforts on under-standing and experimenting with deep neural networks for speech recognition.
Z BABELThe NWU’s participation in the BABEL project was extended for the final year of the five-year project,
which will conclude in 2016. The total amount awarded over the duration of the project was USD 549,621 (approximately R6,6 million).
BABEL is an international collaborative project aimed at solving the spoken term detection task in previously unstudied languages. This project is rapidly advancing the development of ASR systems and is being funded by America’s Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). MuST is part of the Babelon consortium, along with BBN, John Hopkins University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, as well as BUT of the Czech Republic and LIMSI of France. We are contributing new techniques related to letter-to-phone modelling and automatic syllabification with minimal resources.
Z GoogleIn 2015, internet giant Google awarded a new project to MuST to work on South African speech technologies. Details of this new USD 65,000 project will remain confidential until the results from the collaboration are released in mid-2016.
Skills baseMuST is a focused, project-oriented environment that provides younger researchers with the opportunity to learn and grow while contributing to external outputs, working side by side with more senior researchers.
The team consists of a core of five full-time researchers, with one staff member supervising postgraduate students in 2015.
Of the five full-time researchers, two are NRF rated. Prof E Barnard, a research professor, obtained his B rating in 2015, and specialises in statistical pattern recognition, speech processing and mathematics. Prof MH Davel, research professor and MuST director, has a Y rating and is due to be rerated in 2016. Her core skills are statistical pattern recognition, speech processing and software development.
The three other full-time members are senior researchers who together represent a wealth of knowledge in software development, speech processing, synethesis and recognition, and natural language development. They are Dr CJ van Heerden, Dr NT Kleynhans and Dr DR van Niekerk.
In 2015, four PhD students were registered with MuST. Two of these students were enrolled for PhD IT studies on
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the Vaal Triangle Campus and two for PhDs in Computer Engineering on the Potchefstroom Campus. Most of the students are part time and interact with the group from offsite locations, visiting the laboratory on mini sabbaticals when possible.
Publication outputThe number of subsidy-bearing publications for 2015 is listed below, and 2013 and 2014 numbers are provided for comparison purposes. All MuST journal papers were published in ISI-indexed journals.
2013 2014 2015
Journal papers 0 6 2
Conference papers: local 8 3 4
Conference papers: international 7 4 1
Partnerships and collaborationMuST’s carefully targeted network of collaborations, touched on earlier under Research highlights, gives us insight into national priorities for speech technology development and exposure to the latest international developments.
We continued to work very closely with the Human Language Technology (HLT) Unit of South Africa’s Department of Arts and Culture to understand and attempt to meet national priorities related to speech technology development. This collaboration is important as it provides the necessary context that enables MuST to focus our efforts for social impact. The department is also a long-term sponsor of the group’s activities.
A new and important collaboration was formed when we joined the newly established CAIR initiative, linking the NWU to artificial intelligence research groups at the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, University of Pretoria, University of KwaZulu-Natal, and the CSIR. This collaboration is directly supported by the Department of Science and Technology.
Our two major international collaborations for 2015 were with the Babelon consortium ad Google (see Research highlights).
As MuST research matures, we aim to work with commer-cial partners that supplement the skill set available within MuST. The management of IntSyst Labs, established earlier to allow for a separation between different styles of research, was reevaluated in 2015, in collaboration with the Innovation and Technology Transfer Office. Discussions are ongoing.
ConclusionThe long-term focus on speech technology as a scientifi-cally interesting area with potentially large social and commercial impact has served MuST well. We are widely recognised as a leading group in our domain, are well funded and are able to contribute meaningfully to both the South African and international research agendas on speech technology for underresourced languages.
Our research site in Hermanus remained an important factor in our success during 2015. By giving researchers the opportunity to focus on their research priorities in an environment where distractions are minimised, we are able to enhance their productivity and ensure that research outputs align with the goals of the research group.
In 2015, we strengthened the core research staff by appointing two additional researchers (both with a relevant PhD), and supported three part-time PhD students in completing their studies. We are currently addressing three main concerns. They are access to fast and reliable IT infrastructure, commercialisation within MuST, and the student pipeline. These issues will receive further attention in 2016.
It is a pleasure to thank Prof Herman van der Merwe, dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Information Technology, for his unwavering support for the establishment and growth of our (somewhat unconventional) niche area.
PROF MARELIE DAVELDirector: Multilingual Speech Technologies (MuST)+27 (0)28 312 [email protected]
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RESEARCH NICHE AREA
Dr Liesl van der Merwe
IntroductionAt MASARA, many different musical traditions and disciplines combine to form a harmonious research effort. Our researchers, who specialise in diverse disciplines such as musicology, ethnomusicology, music education, religious music, composition and performance, all work together within the uniting focus of “music and wellbeing”.
The research that results from this combined focus contributes to various contexts, such as music teaching and learning, music in everyday life, music in communities and music in religious settings.
Adding their expertise to the focus on music and wellbeing are our extraordinary professor, Prof June Boyce-Tillman, a specialist in music and wellbeing, together with other research fellows and postdoctoral research fellows. Furthermore, the niche area cultivates strong research collaborations with Winchester University and Coventry University in the United Kingdom, Royal College of Music in Stockholm in Sweden, and Jyväskylä University in Finland.
Research highlights A research highlight for MASARA was hosting the 3rd International Conference on Spirituality and Music Education with the theme, “Music education and spirituality – theory and application”. Ms Dirkie Nell organised this event, held from 25 to 27 March 2015 in Potchefstroom. The conference featured international and
national keynote speakers, including Prof Rantoa Letšosa, Dr Giorgos Tsiris and Prof June Boyce-Tillman.
Another research highlight for MASARA was the North-South-South Intensive period, which Dr Santisa Viljoen organised in collaboration with staff of Jyväskylä University, Finland.
We hosted guests from Kenya, Botswana and Finland to conduct research on the role of music in shaping cultural identity in Southern Africa. The guests also visited Potchefstroom Boys High School, Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom and Promosa Primary school where they presented workshops to the children.
It was a busy and productive year for MASARA, whose members improved their research skills and qualifications and participated in some exciting creative projects. Our acclaimed soprano, Antoinette Olivier, received an ITUKU award for creative excellence. Team members published a special edition on spirituality in music education in Vir die Musiekleier, edited by Prof Hetta Potgieter. We also received a positive internal evaluation from the research support committee.
Skills base Our members and research base expanded in 2015. The number of supervisors in MASARA increased from eight in 2014 to fourteen. One of these supervisors, Prof Piet Koornhof has an NRF C rating. MASARA also had two postdoctoral researchers, three research associates, one extraordinary professor and two support staff members.
Music helps by addressing our basic
human needs – for recognition as persons,
identity, relationship, community,
transcendence. When music flourishes,
people flourish too.” (Ansdell, 2014:320)
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Dr Liesl van der Merwe was appointed as MASARA’s niche area leader from January 2015.
The number of registered postgraduate students in MASARA increased from 11 doctoral and 11 master’s students in 2014 to 13 doctoral students and 17 master’s students in 2015. They were either directly involved in our research programmes or were enrolled in composition and performance programmes with a research component.
Twelve postgraduate students graduated in 2015. Eight were master’s students, six of whom obtained their degrees cum laude, and four were doctoral students.
Publication output Fifteen peer-reviewed articles were published under the auspices of MASARA and 23 papers were presented at international conferences and five papers at national conferences. Six of these conference papers were presented by postgraduate students at international conferences.
Research partnerships and collaboration In addition to the North-South-South project, we also have an extensive staff and student exchange programme with the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. The Linnaeus-Palme Exchange Programme under Prof Hannes Taljaard’s leadership is funded by the Swedish
International Development Cooperation Agency. It focuses on research about eurhythmics in South Africa and the needs of Swedish music educators in multicultural environments.
Conclusion MASARA has again succeeded in harmoniously blending diverse research interests and creating a sense of common purpose among our staff and students. We take pride in our cooperative research culture and regularly share our objectives and progress within and outside our research community.
Priorities for the immediate future are to support postgraduate students to complete their studies, prepare researchers for NRF rating and harness the diverse skills of all staff members in the School of Music into effective subprogrammes that connect the numerous prestigious performance and composition outputs of staff.
In this way, music is approached as a living art that reminds the team why we carry out research, and also shapes the ways we think and approach our general wellbeing.
DR LIESL VAN DER MERWE Director: Musical Arts in South-Africa: Resources and Applications (MASARA) + 27 (0)18 299 1689 [email protected]
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RESEARCH NICHE AREA
Prof Johan L du Plessis
IntroductionDespite occupational health and safety legislation, it is estimated that globally 2,3 million workers die each year as a result of occupational accidents or work-related (occupational) diseases, with the latter accounting for two million deaths.
Furthermore, it is estimated that 160 million workers suffer from occupational diseases. Against this backdrop OHHRI was established as a research niche area within the Faculty of Health Sciences in 2015.
Our focus concerns the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of chemical and physical stressors (factors) posing a risk to the health of workers in South African workplaces. The focus is primarily occupational hygiene research, and the ultimate outcome is to promote worker health by preventing the development of occupational disease by creating workplaces that are not detrimental to health.
What distinguishes OHHRI from other research entities in the field is our specific focus on occupational hygiene research, in contrast with other universities that conduct research in predominantly occupational, environmental and public health spheres. We also have a history of collaboration with industry, in particular the platinum mining industry, and offer a structured MSc degree in occupational hygiene that no other South African university has.
Research highlightsThe team continued with two multi-year studies investigating skin permeation of platinum group metals and occupational exposure to platinum group metals at South African precious metals refineries. The National Research Foundation (NRF) is funding both studies.
In addition, OHHRI initiated a new multi-year research study in collaboration with Prof Deon J de Beer of the NWU’s Technology Transfer and Innovation Office. The Department of Science and Technology is funding the new study, which investigates occupational exposure to hazardous chemical substances associated with additive manufacturing (3D printing).
Skills baseOHHRI has seven members, including the head, Prof Johan L du Plessis, who has a Y2 rating
from the NRF. The other six researchers are all academic staff appointed within the subject group Physiology in the School of Physiology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences. They are Prof Fritz C Eloff (DSc), Prof Anja Franken (PhD), Mr Corné J van der Merwe (MSc), Miss M Cynthia Ramotsehoa (MSc), Mrs Alicia van der Merwe (MPH) and Mr Stefan JL Linde (MSc).
Prof Cas J Badenhorst from the global mining company Anglo American has been appointed as an extraordinary associate professor.
A total of 13 students were registered in 2015, of whom three were registered for a PhD and 10 for the MSc degree. One PhD degree and four MSc degrees were awarded.
Publication outputFive articles were published in international accredited journals with impact factors ranging between 1,26 and 3,53, which accounted for 2,08 article equivalents.
In all, seven conference presentations were presented; two were at international conferences and five at national conferences.
Partnerships and collaborationThe niche area collaborates extensively with industry, in particular the platinum mining industry (Anglo American and its business units and Impala Platinum).
There was also research collaboration with other research entities of the NWU, namely the Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), with whom we share an interest in research on interaction between lung and cardiovascular function, the Centre of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Sciences, where our shared interest is in vitro skin permeation of platinum group metals, and the NWU Innovation and Technology Transfer Office, where additive manufacturing is of mutual interest.
National research collaboration exists with Dr Caradee Y Wright of the Medical Research Council in Pretoria on the topic of population and occupational solar ultraviolet exposure.
Internationally, we collaborate with Dr Aleksandr B Stefaniak of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the United States of America, focusing on advancements in skin bioengineering methods in measuring skin barrier function.
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Recognition and awardsDr Anja Franken, a member of our research team, received the Southern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene’s (SAIOH) Article of the Year Award for one of her doctoral articles on the in vitro permeation of platinum and rhodium through human skin. The article was published in the international journal Toxicology in Vitro.
Miss Sane J Jansen van Rensburg, a master’s student in occupational hygiene, received SAIOH’s Tertiary Student of the Year Award. Her study investigated the influence of pH on the permeation of rhodium through human skin. Her supervisors were Dr Anja Franken and Prof Johan L du Plessis of OHHRI and Prof Jeanetta du Plessis of the NWU’s Centre of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Science (Pharmacen).
ConclusionOHHRI is an emerging research entity with the potential to increase its research output and profile.
Through our strategic plan, we have identified and are already implementing some initiatives to encourage our young researchers to obtain PhDs, to increase our research and innovation productivity, with emphasis on the balance between relevance, quantity and quality, and to enhance the national and international profile and visibility of OHHRI.
PROF JOHAN L DU PLESSISDirector: Occupational Hygiene and Health Research Initiative (OHHRI)+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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Introduction In order to fill a much-needed research gap, this niche area for the visual arts was established in 2014 to investigate the unique research and creative outputs within the subject groups Art History, Graphic Design and Creative Writing.
The NWU Council and the Department of Higher Education have approved creative outputs such as art exhibitions, graphic design and music performances as accredited, viable research options. Thus, we contribute to the university’s output by publishing accredited articles and producing creative outputs towards realising the core strategy of the Potchefstroom Campus to become a research-directed campus.
The work of this research niche area is multifaceted. We do interdisciplinary and practice-led research on creative outputs, emphasising the interpretation of visual narratives in works of art, graphic design, creative writing and cultural artefacts within their South African socio-political contexts.
Other key activities are to improve the postgraduate qualifications of personnel, deliver papers at national and international conferences and publish articles in accredited journals, and to deliver MA and PhD students in history of art and MA students in graphic design within the prescribed timeframes.
Research highlightsThe academic staff members of history of art, graphic design and creative writing are engaged in three-year projects which contribute to creative outputs and stimulate interdisciplinary and practice-led research.
We are currently involved in our fourth project with the theme Disappearance. An exhibition of the creative outputs will take place in 2017 in the Main Art Gallery of the NWU on the Potchefstroom Campus.
Publication outputsDuring 2015, the Visual Narratives team published three articles in the South African Journal of Art History, two articles by Prof Rita Swanepoel and Ms Moya Goosen on Afrikaner identity formations in Willem Boshoff’s 32 000 Darling Little Nuisances (2003) and Jan van der Merwe’s Wag (2000), and another one on images of past and present cultural and political identities in
the art installations of Bernie Searle and Leora Farber. Mr Willem Venter, a research assistant and doctoral history of art candidate, wrote the third article, which covered the in-group/out-group dynamics of Nerdrum’s positioning of Kitsch as a reflection of situatedness within contemporary art.
Skills base The niche area consists of 10 academic staff members, one administrative manager, a research assistant and postgraduate MA and PhD students. We have one professor, Prof Franci Greyling, who is partly involved in our research projects, and two associate professors, Prof Rita Swanepoel, the niche research director, and Prof John R Botha.
The other members are senior lecturer Dr Louisemarié Rathbone, four lecturers, Ms Colette Lotz, Ms Boitumelo Kembo, Ms Marina Herbst and Ms Moya Goosen, and two junior lecturers, Mr Héniel Fourie and Ms Jo-Ann Chan. Mr Willem Venter is currently the research assistant and Mr Francois Pretorius, the manager of the Creativity Centre and also a member of the research niche area, serves on the executive committee and is a doctoral student in history of art.
We experienced a high staff turnover in the subject group Graphic Design in 2014 and 2015, when five of the six members of staff left the NWU and were replaced by five junior colleagues. In 2015, we had seven registered MA students, six in history of art and one in graphic design. We also have three registered PhD students in history of art. Two of the MA students, Mr D Mynhardt and Ms IK Liebenberg, will complete their studies and graduate in 2016.
CollaborationThe research niche area places considerable emphasis on collaboration in our art-related projects, both with colleagues from other disciplines and from other South African universities. We also believe in collegiality with less emphasis on hierarchical structures. To retain continuity and momentum in our research, we meet regularly for general research niche meetings, where we do strategic planning and work on our vision and mission, executive meetings, seminars, colloquia and postgraduate progress meetings. One of the main objectives of 2016 will be to expand internationalisation.
RESEARCH NICHE AREA
Prof Rita Swanepoel
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Conclusion Improving the qualifications of staff members is a priority for the Faculty of Arts on the Potchefstroom Campus, where VINCU is located. Due to the staff turnover in Graphic Design, most of our newly appointed staff members are juniors and still in the process of improving their qualifications. At present, only three staff members, namely Prof Swanepoel, Prof Botha and Prof Rathbone, have doctorates. Four staff members’ highest qualification is a master’s degree and they are currently working on their doctorates. Four other staff members are currently
busy with their master’s studies. Once these qualifications have been completed, there will be more emphasis on the writing of articles to be published in accredited journals, as well as on the delivery of postgraduate students.
PROF RITA SWANEPOELDirector: Visual narratives and creative outputs through interdisciplinary and practice-led research (VINCU)+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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RESEARCH CENTRE
Dr Dmitri Bessarabov
Introduction The NWU and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) co-host the HySA Infrastructure Centre of Competence (CoC), which is leading the way in the country’s quest to deliver technologies for renewable hydrogen production, storage and distribution.
The primary focus of HySA Infrastructure on the Potchefstroom Campus is on the development of hydrogen production and distribution technologies. To do this, our laboratories have acquired equipment so state of the art that researchers from international institutions and companies have been using some of it.
The centre’s core competency is to develop technologies for hydrogen production and delivery, systems integration for hydrogen production and delivery, and platinum group metal (PGM) recycling. We then build on this knowledge to leapfrog existing technology for niche applications to address national, regional and global developmental challenges.
HySA Infrastructure has designed and constructed a solar-to-hydrogen demonstration plant that is the first of its kind in South Africa. The plant is currently in operation at our laboratories and continues to be upgraded to increase the renewable hydrogen production capacity. This innovation, along with a number of other developments, demonstrates the value the centre is adding to the Department of Science and Technology’s research, development and innovation strategy in national hydrogen and fuel cells technologies research.
Research highlights During 2015, HySA Infrastructure successfully completed the third phase upgrade of our solar-to-hydrogen system,
(now producing 3kg of ultra-pure hydrogen per day), which demonstrates our ongoing commitment to provide excellence in renewable hydrogen technology development.
Another achievement was developing an electrochemical hydrogen compression system for small-scale applications that also purifies hydrogen. Anglo American Platinum provided R4 million in co-funding for further development of the technology.
In addition, we developed a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser hardware for conducting water electrolysis experiments at discharge pressures exceeding 80 bar, and a high-pressure membrane rupture system. The rupture system characterises proton exchange membranes at operating conditions found within electrochemical hydrogen systems.
Skills baseOur competitive advantage stems from the diverse yet complementary professional background of our staff of chemists, electrical engineers, electronic engineers, and chemical engineers.
HySA Infrastructure at the NWU hub comprised nine full-time staff members in 2015, consisting of the director (a C-rated researcher), the programme manager, four research engineers (one with a PhD and three with MSc degrees in different fields), a facility manager, and two administrative officers.
The centre had three part-time PhD candidates and three full-time MSc students, as well as three postdoctoral fellows. Two PhD candidates graduated in 2015 and have since been retained as senior engineers, while two PhD candidates submitted in December 2015. One MSc student who submitted in November 2015 has since passed and will graduate in 2016.
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Still, there is a lack of specialised student supervision capacity specific to hydrogen technology, which needs to be addressed.
Publication outputThe publication output at the NWU hub for 2015 consisted of eight full-length refereed articles and 22 local and international conference or workshop presentations. Together with the CSIR hub, we co-authored 20 publications. The centre at the NWU also published two chapters in books and the centre director, Dr Dmitri G Bessarabov, edited a book on PEM electrolysis for hydrogen production.
Partnerships and collaboration HySA Infrastructure received R1,2 million in funding from the DST Infrastructure Allocation Budget of South Africa to undertake an initial feasibility study towards onsite manufacturing of hydrogen for underground mining operations and further deployment of fuel cell technologies.
Also, a partnership agreement between HySA Infrastruc-ture and Anglo American Platinum entered its second year in 2015, involving R4 million in co-funding for three years. The agreement was signed to support the development of electrochemical hydrogen compression and separation (EHC&S) technologies as part of the HySA Infrastructure mandate.
We showcased our capabilities at the 6th World Hydrogen Technologies Convention in Sydney, Australia in October 2015. This attracted the interest of several world-renowned experts in the area of hydrogen production for niche applications, and we expect follow-up dialogue with them about potential collaborations.
Recognition and awardsThe Royal Academy of Engineering, in partnership with South Africa’s Technology Innovation Agency, awarded the Leaders in Innovation fellowship to the centre’s Dr Steven Chiuta to visit the United Kingdom for a training course on technology commercialisation.
The Royal Academy of Engineering brings together the most successful and talented engineers from across the engineering sectors to advance and promote excellence in engineering and innovation both in the United Kingdom and globally. In addition, Dr Chiuta received the NWU Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence at a gala event held at the university to recognise innovation in research.
ConclusionOverall, HySA Infrastructure continues to grow as a competitive research entity within the NWU and the CSIR. The exceptional research results and findings indicate that the centre is ready to step into technology commercialisation, and indeed decisive steps are now being taken in that direction. In order to accomplish this important stage, HySA Infrastructure CoC, which is understaffed, will need to recruit more research engineers and scientists.
Notwithstanding these gaps, the future prospects for HySA Infrastructure are positive.
For more information please visit our website: http://www.hysainfrastructure.org/.
DR DMITRI BESSARABOVDirector: DST HYSA Infrastructure Centre of Competence+27 (0)18 285 [email protected]
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IntroductionSouth Africa seeks to be one of the three top emerging economies in the global pharmaceutical industry. This is the vision of the Ten-Year Innovation Plan (2008-2018) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and one of the aims of the Industrial Development Plan (IPAP).
Substantial progress has been made towards this, including the generation of areas of expertise in the drug development pipeline. The DST/NWU Preclinical Drug Development Platform (PCDDP), a national platform, forms one of the pillars of this vision, based on essential core competencies. In 2015, the PCDDP increased our competencies from three to four programmes: Preclinical Drug Development, Clinical Drug Development, Diagnostic Development, and Formulation and Dosage Forms.
Preclinical and clinical testing of therapeutic molecules and formulations are crucial steps in their development and are required for the registration of medicines with regulatory bodies. The world-class preclinical facility for drug and therapeutic evaluation in small animals has performed studies for academia, science councils and industry. Studies performed included pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics studies of active ingredients, the evaluation of drug tolerability and radiotelemetric safety studies, xenografts and body distribution studies using radiolabels.
Research highlightsA rapid and affordable point-of-care tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic test suitable for use as a community-based TB screening tool in mines has been developed through collaboration between the PCDDP, the University of Nebraska and the University of Stellenbosch’s Medical School in Tygerberg. This is an important development as the prevalence of TB in South African miners is estimated at 3 000 per 100 000 people, making the mining sector a major reservoir and driver of new TB infections within South Africa and its neighbouring countries.
The new diagnostic system, the prototype for which was successfully tested in 2014, was then evaluated in the mining community of the Orkney Westvaal Hospital, with extremely good results. To our knowledge, this is the only nucleic acid-based diagnostic capable of differentiating between live and dead mycobacteria, thus overcoming the shortcomings of existing molecular assays, which limited their deployment in endemic settings.
The NWU-TB system is also mobile and highly cost-effective in mine settings, and is as accurate as the best other systems on the market. The diagnostic group was named the most innovative group at the NWU for this development. Automation and commercialisation of the system will now be undertaken.
An important focus for the PCDDP is the development of drug delivery systems that improve the bioavailability, efficacy, safety and stability of medicines and supplements, specifically to combat insufficient absorption of new generation therapeutic molecules. An example is Pheroid®
technology, which we have developed and protected under eight patents.
A number of Pheroid-based products were under develop-ment in 2015 and approaching market-readiness, including a sports supplement that was and continues to be evaluated by South African athletes. A dramatic improvement in bioavailability (the presence and usability of the active molecule(s) of a medicine in the body and preferably at the site of action) of bioflavonoids has led to close commercial ties with Plandai Biotech and Coyne Healthcare. In a related development, the year saw the PCDDP out-licensing Pheroid® technology to Plandai Biotech for use with PhytofareTM, followed by commercialisation of the product ph2, containing PhytofareTM and Pheroid®.
Skills baseThe PCDDP is growing intellectual capital in health innovation with a staff complement of 36, of whom 17 are young postgraduates registered for a postgraduate degree or in training as postdoctoral fellows or interns. The platform includes three academic and 16 support staff members, two postdoctoral fellows, nine PhD students, four MSc students and two NRF interns. We also hosted two PhD students from ETH Zurich, who performed their preclinical, drug delivery and bio-fortification studies at the PCDDP. Three students received their PhD degrees during 2015.
Three extraordinary professors complete our staff: Prof Hendrik Viljoen, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA; Prof Brian Guth, Strategic Research and Development (R&D) at Boehringer Ingelheim, Germany, and Prof Jan Rijn Zeevaart of Radiopharmacy at Necsa and acting head of Nuclear Technologies in Medicine (NTeMBI) and the Biosciences Initiative.
RESEARCH CENTRE
Prof Anne Grobler
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Publication and other outputs The Pheroid® drug delivery system patent portfolio was expanded with a number of patents granted in several countries. An application for a new patent, in conjunction with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Stellenbosch on the improvement of our molecular TB diagnostic, was submitted to the European Patent Office for examination.
The academic staff members and students published 10 peer-reviewed papers in international journals, four keynote addresses and a number of peer-reviewed conference papers at international conferences.
Partnerships and collaborationThe PCDDP is a participant in global initiatives such as the Swiss/South African bilateral agreement. This partnership with ETH Zurich, the PCDDP and the Centre of Excellence in Nutrition at the NWU focuses on the bioavailability of nano-calcium and two PhD students from ETH pursued their studies at the PCDDP.
Other productive collaborations are the TB diagnostic project with the University of Nebraska and the University of Stellenbosch’s Medical School, and our involvement in NTeMBI, which aims to improve the bioavailability of radiopharmaceuticals. The PCDDP also conducts preclinical evaluation of novel cancer compounds in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg and, in close collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, Germany, represents the Safety Pharmacology Society in Africa.
Recognition and awards Our diagnostic group received a GAP Biosciences Innovation Award and the tuberculosis diagnostic NWU-TB will be incubated in the Innovation Hub in Pretoria for 2016.
Prof Anne Grobler was appointed as the national coordinator of the DST South African Roadmap for Research Infrastructure (SARIR) for 2015.
ConclusionThe PCDDP is a national asset and one of the drivers of our knowledge economy. Hosted by the NWU with support from the Department of Science and Technology, it is intended to boost health innovation and exploratory pharmaceutical manufacturing. It is also exploring the boundaries of molecular diagnostics in terms of our local health priorities. The PCDDP closes the gap between research and development (R&D) and commercialisation of therapeutic products and diagnostic assays.
PROF ANNE GROBLERDirector: DST/NWU Preclinical Drug Development Platform (PCDDP)+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
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RESEARCH CENTRE
Prof Simeon Materechera
IntroductionThe IKS Centre at the Mafikeng Campus is one of the five consortium partner institutions making up the Department of Science and Technology-National Research Foundation (DST-NRF) Centre in Indigenous Knowledge Systems (CIKS).
The other partner institutions are the University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Limpopo, University of South Africa and University of Venda. As such, the IKS centre is involved in multidisciplinary research cutting across key strategic areas including food security, cultural astronomy, African traditional medicine and practices, climate change, management and conservation of biodiversity, heritage, arts and culture, and traditional leadership and authority, among others.
The holistic and community-based nature of IKS provides a foundation for engagement between researchers, indigenous knowledge holders and practitioners in local communities, and for the offering of well-structured academic programmes. In 2015, we launched the two-year Master of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (MIKS) programme, which will replace the existing Master of Arts (MA IKS). The centre has also introduced the Bachelor of IKS (B IKS), an inter-disciplinary programme with electives in indigenous agriculture, science and technology, healthcare systems, arts and culture.
Research highlightsThe centre recruited five PhD (IKS) candidates in 2015 and hosted one postdoctoral fellow as part of the research team.
On 7 and 8 October 2015, Prof PF Iya took a group of 10 undergraduate and four postgraduate researchers together with two staff co-investigators to undertake IKS research in two villages, Moruleng and Bapong2 in the North West Province. This exercise marked the first implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed in 2015 by Bakgatla-Ba-Kgafela with the NWU to cooperate on IKS issues, including research. Prof Iya’s research also took him and his team of researchers to the villages of Lokaleng, Disaneng and Dinokana (in Zeerust).
Four doctoral students from the centre, Mr MD Magoro, Mr M Koitsiwe, Mrs R Chakauya and Mr O Rapuleng, attended and presented papers at an international conference on postgraduate student research on IKS in Southern and East Africa, held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on 20 and 21 November 2015. Their
papers dealt with South African languages and IKS, climate-smart policies for enhancing smallholder farmers’ adaptation to climate change, towards an effective international system of intellectual property and the role of indigenous weather and climate knowledge in crop production.
A team of staff and students of the centre participated in the 3rd national Interface workshop under the theme, ”Building excellence in Indigenous Knowledge Systems as a science”, held in Pretoria from 27 February to 1 March 2015.
There were two groups based on the NRF-funded IKS projects at the IKS Centre in Mafikeng. The first group’s project focused on African traditional medicine and healing practices in the North West Province, which was presented by Prof SA Materechera and his team of traditional health practitioners and postgraduate students. The second project investigated the impact of indigenous values, beliefs, laws/cultures and practices on the application of IKS for sustainable development in the communities of the North West Province. The presenters were Prof PI Iya and his team of traditional leaders and postgraduate students.
Both staff and postdoctoral fellows of the IKS Centre participated in the International Conference on Health Science Education and Leadership and Practice in Boksburg from 15 to 17 April 2015. Prof Iya presented a paper on the challenges facing knowledge holders and practitioners of traditional medicine in South Africa and the use of Intellectual Property (IP) to protect indigenous knowledge. Dr T Saurombe delivered a paper on the use of Ubuntu philosophy as a guiding management philosophy in schools. Mr M Koitsiwe’s paper considered the nutrition and health value of African indigenous vegetables in a rural setting in Lesotho.
Prof SA Materechera attended the International Conference on Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Environmental Ethics Implications for Peace-building and Sustainable Development at the University of KwaZulu-Natal from 28 to 30 April 2015. His paper was based on the experiences of the researchers in the implementation of the NRF-funded project on African traditional medicine and healing practices in the North West Province.
The IKS centre held an Indigenous Knowledge Holders and Practitioners Day on 17 October 2015 at the Mafikeng Campus. The theme of the day was “Enhancing teaching and learning through indigenous knowledge holders and practitioners”. This annual event provides a platform for
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students and staff to interact with knowledge holders and practitioners in various disciplines of IKS.
Partnerships and collaborationThe IKS Centre hosts a NEPAD/SANBio Regional IKS Node and co-ordinates IKS network activities initiated and supported by NEPAD in the region. The Southern Africa Network for Biosciences (SANBio) is a NEPAD Agency Flagship for collaborative research, development and an innovation platform aimed at addressing Southern Africa’s challenges in health and nutrition.
As the regional node for IKS, the director of the IKS Centre, Prof SA Materechera, and Prof TM Khomo of the University of Limpopo, attended the launch of the BioFISA II Programme and Business Plan Development Workshop in Pretoria in December 2015. BioFISA is the Finnish-Southern African Partnership aimed at strengthening the NEPAD SANBio Network. BioFISA II is the second phase of the programme, which emphasises collaboration, capacity building and funding for health and nutrition in all 12 SADC member states.
The IKS Centre collaborated with the IKS Knowledge Management Directorate of the Department of Science and Technology to host a public awareness and consultations on the IKS bill (2014) and the accreditation and certification framework on 8 May 2015.
In partnership with the Department of Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs, the centre also organised and spearheaded the activities of Africa Month celebrations, held at the Mafikeng Campus on 29 May 2015 under the theme, “Africa unite against Xenophobia”.
The IKS Centre continues and strives to play a role in contributing towards uplifting community livelihoods through knowledge generation and community outreach. Dr T Saurombe, a postdoctoral fellow at the IKS Centre, attended the commemoration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Management Symposium held in Ventersdorp in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality on 18 November 2015. Dr Saurombe presented a paper titled “Science and Indigenous Knowledge in Disaster Risk Reduction”.
The purpose of the symposium was to raise awareness among communities of the roles of the various disaster risk reduction and management units in the North-West Province and how these units can work together with local communities, traditional leadership, women’s groups and indigenous knowledge holders and experts in government departments and institutions of higher learning.
ConclusionIn all, it has been a very satisfactory year for the IKS Centre. We introduced two new academic programmes, presented numerous papers at important IKS conferences, and continued to play a constructive, visible role in the DST-NRF Centre for Indigenous Knowledge Systems. We look forward to a productive 2016.
PROF SIMEON A MATERECHERADirector: Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Centre +27 (0)18 389 [email protected]
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PROF LUCAS VENTER Director: Research Support
+27 (0)18 299 4848 [email protected]
INSTITUTIONAL DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH SUPPORT
Promotion, integration and implementation of research policy and strategy of the NWU
Z Implementation of the research capacity development programme
Z Facilitation and monitoring of Excellence in Research Awards dinner
Z Facilitation and monitoring of the research entity model
Z Monitoring, evaluation and reporting of research
Z Manual for postgraduate studies
MR JOHANN DU PLESSIS Senior Financial Officer +27 (0)18 299 4854
Z Administration of the NRF grant deposit
Z Financial support and administration of all NRF research funds
Z Management information and analyses on NRF research funds
Z Financial support and administration of NRF postgraduate bursaries
MS HEIDE GOEDHALSSenior Administrative Officer
+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
Z Secretarial services for director
Z Office management
Z Liaison with internal and external role-players
Z Document management system
Z Support services for staff of the department
Z Organise process for Research Excellence Awards and prestige dinner
Z Management of NRF Block grant
Z Research infrastructure programme
MS MPE MEINTJESResearch Support Coordinator:
General Research Support+27 (0)18 299 4856
Z Management of postdoctoral fellowship programme
Z Programme administration of Research Support Commission
Z Management and support of research capacity training workshops
Z Management of the institutional postgraduate bursaries
Z Management of the emerging researcher development programme
Z Administration of research awards nomination process
MS BUYI NTAKAResearch Support
Coordinator: Funding+27 (0)18 299 4850
Z Management of pre- and post-award research process
Z Management and support of NRF evaluation and rating process
Z Administration of strategic equipment (NRF)
MS TERESA SMITResearch Support Coordinator:
Monitoring and Reporting +27 (0)18 299 4853
Z Administration of research publication subsidy claims and internal incentive awards
Z Implementation of the National Research Management Information Systems (RIMS/InfoEd)
Z Maintenance of research databases and reports
Z Research Annual Report
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MS RIA VAN DEN BERGSenior Financial Accountant
+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
Z Financial support and administration of all NWU research and innovation funds (including postdoctoral bursaries)
Z Financial support and admin-istration of NRF THRIP funds
Z Management information analyses on research and innovation funds (including Focus Area Financial Report)
Z Financial support and administration of MRC and other external research funds (excluding NRF)
Z Budgetary control
MS CHRISTELLE DE BEERAdministrative Assistant: General
Research Support+27 (0)18 299 4849
MS FUNANANI LAVHELANI
Administrative Assistant: Funding+27 (0)18 285 2014
MS ANNEKE STOLSAdministrative Assistant: Ethics
+27 (0)18 285 [email protected]
General office hours:08:00-16:30
General enquiries:[email protected]
Mailing address:Internal Mailbox 116, NWU Private Bag X1290, Potchefstroom 2520
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PROF DEON DE BEERChief Director: Technology Transfer
and Innovation Support+27 (0)18 299 4923
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND INNOVATION SUPPORT
Contact Technology Transfer and Innovation Support for any enquiries about:
Z Assisting with funding applications for commercialisation
Z Marketing technologies
Z Building networks with industry
Z Protection of Intellectual Property
Z Industrialisation
Z Commercialisation
Z Managing existing licensing agreements
Z Organising and conducting workshops on entrepreneurship for students
MR JOHANN COETZEEManager: Intellectual Property
and Contracting +27 (0)18 299 4924
MS GRETHA BOTHA Assistant Manager: Intellectual
Property and Contracting+27 (0)18 299 4967
MR HANNES MALAN (PJ)Senior Specialist: Commercialisation
+27 (0)18 285 2536 [email protected]
MR FREDERICK R BEZUIDENHOUT Senior Specialist: Commercialisation
+27 (0)18 285 2535 [email protected]
MS BOIPELO SEBESHOSenior Specialist: Commercialisation
+27 (0)18 285 2535 [email protected]
MS KETLARENG POLORISenior Specialist: Commercialisation
+27 (0)18 285 2536 [email protected]
MS FRIEDA FIELLISSecretary
+27 (0)18 299 [email protected]
MR RUDI VAN DER MERWEProject Coordinator
+27 (0)18 285 [email protected]
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The 2015 Annual Research Report is published by the Institutional Department of Research Support in collaboration with Corporate Communication. The department would like to acknowledge each and everyone who contributed to the publication of this report.
Ms Teresa Smit Ms Nelia Engelbrecht
NWU Language Directorate Ms Clairwyn van der Merwe
NWU colleagues and service providers
SUN MeDIA MeTRO [email protected]
SUN MeDIA MeTRO
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