Chancellor’s Fellows 2023

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Chancellor’s Fellows 2023

Chancellor’s Fellows 2023

Dr. Betty Maepa

Dr. Betty Maepa

Dr. Maepa holds a Ph.D. in Microbial Molecular Biology and is a senior lecturer in the Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology, University of the Witwatersrand. She has a passion for novel therapies and vaccine development. Her current research uses viruses as tools to design nucleic acid-based therapeutics and vaccines against viral infections of health importance.

Dr. Neo Ligaraba

Dr. Neo Ligaraba

Dr. Neo Ligaraba is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Business Sciences, Marketing Division at the University of the Witwatersrand. Before her doctoral studies, she was a consumer-packaged goods (CPG) marketing and customer management executive who managed multiple local and global brands and retail channels in both developing and developed markets. Her current research areas are brand management, digital transformation, advertising and promotions, new product development, and research relevant to practice.

Chioniso Kuchwa-Dube

Chioniso Kuchwa-Dube

Chioniso Kuchwa-Dube is a lecturer in the School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she teaches mechatronics, robotics, and automation. Her research focus is on the design and development of intelligent, autonomous, mobile robots for applications ranging from precision agriculture to mining post-blast safety inspections. Her PhD is titled ‘Nonlinear Intelligent Fault-Tolerant Control of Quadrotor-Based Aerial Manipulators for Precision Agriculture Applications’.

Dr. Meghan Botes

Dr. Meghan Botes

I am an emergency nurse and a nurse educator with a dichotomous passion for both of these fields. Emergency nursing is my research niche area with a specific focus on emergency care in primary health care settings as well the development of the emergency nurse specialist role in the context of South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa
My teaching philosophy is underpinned by andragogy which places the focus on the learner as an adult who possesses knowledge, experience and self-motivation. I am a facilitator of learning and love to learn with students.

Dr. Kutlwano Xulu

Dr. Kutlwano Xulu

My name is Kutlwano Xulu, I have been a lecturer at the School of Anatomical Sciences since 2015, teaching histology and cell biology and supervising postgraduate students. I completed my undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and graduated with my doctorate in 2020. My research interest is broadly investigating tumour biology. My doctoral research focused on reciprocal interactions between platelets and breast tumour cells in response to combined hormone therapy and antiplatelet therapy. The findings highlighted the sub-phenotypic differences in the response of breast cancer cell lines representing the same molecular subtype of breast cancer (luminal A). This led to my current research project which is aimed at investigating tumour heterogeneity in breast and cervical cancer cells, in the hopes to better understand the underlying factors with may contribute to tumour recurrence and treatment resistance.

Dr. Ayanda Ngwenya

Dr. Ayanda Ngwenya

I’m a lecturer in the division of histology in the School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Science. I hold a PhD in comparative neurobiology from Wits University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN), in Alberta Canada. My main research is on neuronal morphology and the mechanisms of plasticity in the brain, with a goal to understand the evolution of plasticity and the complex behaviours seen throughout vertebrates. I am also interested in making basic science more accessible to all students during the pre-clinical years of training, and am currently working on a project to expand and refine the learning materials provided to students to aid in their studies of histology and embryology.

Ms. Jane Ndlovu CA (SA)

Ms. Jane Ndlovu CA (SA)

Jane Ndlovu, a Senior Lecturer at the Wits School of Accountancy, has dedicated her career to empowering and uplifting the next generation of chartered accountants (CAs). As a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, she is committed to creating a pipeline of qualified CAs who represent South Africa’s diverse demographics. Jane is also a mentor for the Wits Thuthuka Education Upliftment Fund, where she provides guidance and support to black students who may otherwise not have had access to quality education. As a qualified CA, Jane's research focuses on taxation and accounting-related fields such as auditing, governance, and finance.

Dr Tshegofatso Ramphaleng

Dr Tshegofatso Ramphaleng

Dr Tshegofatso Ramphaleng completed her PhD in biological anthropology from the University of the Witwatersrand. She is currently a lecturer in the School of Anatomical Sciences at the University. She lectures human anatomy and human evolution. Her research interests are in geometric morphometric use for various research methods, 2D/3D analysis and facial approximation.

Dr Grace N. Ngubeni

Dr Grace N. Ngubeni

Grace Nomthandazo Ngubeni (PhD) is a Lecturer and in the School of Chemistry at the University of the Witwatersrand. Grace obtained her Master of Science degree in Physical Chemistry studying phthalocyanines at Rhodes University. She obtained her Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of the Witwatersrand. She is part of the NanoWEBS research group which focuses on Water, Energy, Biomedical and Sensor research. Her research interests involve investigating quaternary semiconducting nanomaterials for application in renewable energy.

Dr. Nomalanga Mashinini

Dr. Nomalanga Mashinini

Dr Nomalanga Mashinini is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand. Her area of expertise lies in Cyberlaw, and she is involved in facilitating the LLM Cyberlaw course. Dr Mashinini's research interests revolve around examining the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on image rights. She is also the Founder and Host of the podcast, "Image Rights by N Mashinini." This project was initiated under the National Research Foundation Thuthuka grant, with the aim of disseminating knowledge on how individuals worldwide can safeguard and regulate the commercial use of their identities. Her FALF project will form a community engagement programme aimed at teaching the community how to protect their image rights.

Dr. Nicole Cloete

Dr. Nicole Cloete

Dr Nicola Cloete is Senior Lecturer in the Department of History of Art & Heritage Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. Born in South Africa she completed an undergraduate degree in Dramatic Art at Wits University, a Master’s degree in Gender Culture and Politics at Birkbeck College, London and worked in academia, and television as a researcher before returning to Wits to take up a position in the Wits School of Arts. She completed her PhD in Political Studies at Wits University. Dr Cloete’s research and teaching focus on an interdisciplinary approach to visual and cultural studies with a specific emphasis on memory studies, slavery in South Africa, and gender and race theories as they pertain to the politics of representation.

Dr. Tebello Letseka

Dr. Tebello Letseka

Tebello Letseka is a lecturer at the Wits School of Education (WSoE), and holds a Master of Arts degree from Rhodes University and a PhD from the University of Witwatersrand. A sociologist by discipline, Dr Letseka’s career was launched at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), where she worked on various initiatives aimed at improving access to knowledge in rural schools. She has extensive research project management experience, and has managed large-scale research projects for organisations such as the World Bank and the Society for Family Health (SFH).

Dr Vernice Peterson

Dr Vernice Peterson

Dr Vernice Peterson (PhD) is a senior lecturer and early-career cardiovascular physiologist in the School of Physiology at the University of the Witwatersrand. As a member of the Cardiovascular Pathophysiology and Genomics Research Unit (CPGRU), she is profoundly interested in cardiac function and haemodynamic mechanisms related to hypertension, coronary artery disease and heart failure. In addition, she is passionate about using advanced, novel, and innovative technology to assist in understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in various cardiovascular diseases, thus helping improve the lives of those affected by cardiovascular disease in the unique setting of South Africa.

Dr Thabisile Nkambule

Dr Thabisile Nkambule

Curriculum Division
Thabisile Nkambule is a senior lecturer at University of the Witwatersrand, School of Education. She holds a PhD in Education, specialising in Higher Education from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her research foci is Rural Education, specialising in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and In-service Teachers, in different disciplines.

Dr. Marry Evans

Dr. Marry Evans

Dr Mary Evans is currently working as an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Witwatersrand. She has Memberships: National Association for Clean Air (NACA) South African Society for Atmospheric Scientists (SASAS). Research Interest; Atmospheric Chemistry Climatology Palaeoclimatology Environmental Science Education.

Dr Belinda Keratiloe Mogotsi

Dr Belinda Keratiloe Mogotsi

Belinda Keratiloe Mogotsi is a pracademic, researcher, Lean Six Sigma coach, project management professional (PMP) and lecturer. She is the Programme Director for Executive Education at the Centre, and also a lecturer on African Philanthropy at the University of Witwatersrand’s Wits Business School. She holds a Ph.D. in African Philanthropy, and her research areas include disaster philanthropy, venture philanthropy, African philanthropy and philanthrocapitalism in Africa.

Aviwe Mgobozi

Aviwe Mgobozi

Ms Mgobozi is the Acting Head of Division of Clinical Associates, in the Department of Family Medicine and Primary care. She has been training clinical associate students for 9 years. She completed her bachelor’s degree in clinical medicine. Practice in the first cohort of clinical associates at Wits University in 2011. She worked as a clinical associate at Jubilee Hospital in 2012. She further completed a Post Grad Diploma in Health Science Education at Wits in 2016 and a Master of Philosophy in Health Professions Education at Stellenbosch University in 2019. She is currently pursuing her PHD in Health Professions Education. She served as one of the founding members in PACASA (Professional Association of Clinical Associates in South Africa) 2014- 2017. Her interests are in 21st century medical education, innovative teaching methodologies, inter-professional education, and professional identities.

Dr Kholofelo Mashola

Dr Kholofelo Mashola

Dr Kholofelo Mashola is a young, Black, and female senior lecturer in the field of adult neurology and recently obtained her PhD in Physiotherapy at the University of Pretoria. Her research niche area is the management of secondary health conditions after spinal cord injury and supervises both undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of spinal cord injury and stroke. Kholofelo aspires to not only be an academic leader, particularly in the research stream, but also one of the very few Black female experts in her research field both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Khuthala Mnika

Dr. Khuthala Mnika

Khuthala Mnika obtained her PhD in Human Genetics in 2020 at UCT. Her PhD research focuses on Pharmacogenomics of Sickle Cell Disease: Pain and Drug metabolism associated Gene Variants and hydroxyurea-induced post-transcriptional expression of miRNAs in an African cohort. Currently, she is working as a Senior Medical Scientist at the National Health Laboratory Services(NHLS)/the University of the Witwatersrand In the Human Genetics division. Dr Mnika’s research interests include pharmacogenomics of sickle cell disease therapeutics and the genetics aetiology of inherited kidney disease in Africa.

Dr. Khuthala Mnika

Dr. Khuthala Mnika

I am Dr. Kamogelo Butsi, a researcher in the field of medicinal chemistry. My current research interests include the use of sustainable chemistry to synthesise 2,4-diaminopyrimidines as potential antifolates. These class of chemotherapeutic agents have gained popularity in medicinal chemistry due to their vast biological activity. They are of particular interest to me due to their antibacterial and antimalarial activity. In addition to my interests in research, I am passionate about teaching. I had the pleasure to lecture the chemistry course to first year students in the school of chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand. The experience has definitely cemented my eagerness to build a career in academia.

Dr Zintle Ntshongwana

Dr Zintle Ntshongwana

Dr Ntshongwana is a lecturer and a coordinator in the School of Human and Community Development, Social Work department at the University of the Witwatersrand, since 2022. She holds a PhD, Masters and Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Fort Hare. Her PhD was funded by the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS-SAHUDA). She completed a certificate in Civic Leadership through Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Dr Ntshongwana also completed a certificate through Early Career Development Programme (ECAD) and has received a grant to take part in the program at Wits. Her PhD focused on Family Welfare, and social work interventions, and therefore, her research focuses on children, families, family relationships, foster care, domestic violence, family violence, and social work roles and interventions.