Dr Thama Duba has obtained a PhD degree in Applied Mathematics at the University of Kwazulu-Natal.
Her area of research is in Fluid Dynamics particularly in large-scale fluids like planetary oceans and atmospheres. She has the passion to make mathematics beautiful and do-able
Dr Jillian Gardner is a senior lecturer and the academic head of the masters programme in bioethics and health law in the Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics.
She has qualifications in philosophy, bioethics and law. Her research interest is in the field of applied ethics, in particular: bioethics, reproductive ethics, public health ethics, and the ethics of medical technology.
I am Kholiswa Malindini, a Lecturer at the Wits School of Governance.
I am also a PhD final year student at WSG, and my Thesis examines the effect of institutional quality on foreign direct investment inflows into the Southern African Development Community.
Dr Daphney Nozizwe Conco, Senior Lecturer at the Wits School of Public Health.
My main responsibility is to teach on the Master of Public Health programme. In addition I am the university focal point person for an initiative to build a vibrant multidisciplinary African academy to lead world-class research that makes positive impact on population and public health, an initiative called CARTA (Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa).
I am also currently the principal investigator of a study titled: National Incomplete Abortion Study: South Africa, 2018. The research seeks to establish the prevalence of incomplete abortions, discern the number of those who had unsafe abortion procedures before admission and describe the demographic profile of women presenting with incomplete abortion to South African public hospitals.
Busisiwe Nkala-Dlamini holds a PhD in Development Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Masters of Health Science in Bioethics, University of Toronto, Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, University of the Witwatersrand, Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery.
Recipient of Fogarty International Scholarship, NRF Sabbatical Grant, Faculty of Humanities’ Research Promotion Grant and Female Academic Leaders Fellowship Grant. Currently involved in international collaborative interdisciplinary research projects investigating teenage boys’ exposure and involvement in gender based violence.
Passionate about research and program development on teenage and adolescence (boys and girls) sexual and reproductive health services, socio-behavioural research, and historical and socio-cultural factors’ contribution to teenager sexual and reproductive health problems including services and families.
Ms Lungile Khambule is the youngest lecturer in the Department of Chemical Pathology and is currently doing her PhD research project focused on improving the diagnostic approach of gestational diabetes by finding novel biomarkers of gestational diabetes.
Dr Dineo Mpanya is a nuclear physician with a special interest in research.
She has a Master of Medicine Degree, which she passed with distinction. Her PhD is focused on training machine learning algorithms to risk stratify patients with heart failure.
Senior Lecturer in the division of Health and Society at the Wits School of Public Health. Involved in both post- and under-graduate teaching in the School. Her research interests include mental health, health promotion, health management and interventions on social determinants of health.
Her current research is around developing management competencies of Masters in Public health students through use of reflective diaries in their workplaces.
Dr Mpho Matsipa is an educator, designer, researcher, and curator based at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
She will be working on an experimental publication project of her podcast series, titled African Mobilities, that was funded by the Goethe Institut. The publication offers a critical open-source archive of the voices and visions of architects, artists and theorists across Africa and the global diaspora.
I am lecturer in the Department Social Work in the School of Human and Community Development in the Faculty of Humanities.
I joined Wits in 2007, my PhD is on Fatherhood and Female Headed Households. I have collaborated and authored a chapter in the Black Academic Voices the South African Experience. I am currently collaborating in a research project with ARUA researchers and my research is on African Perspective on Fatherhood.
Is a Lecturer at Wits University, specializing in Construction Management. Her expertise are in Quantity Surveying and Construction Project Management.
She earned her BSc QS from Wits University in South Africa and MSc CPM from Greenwich University in the UK, and is currently doing her Ph.D. with Wits University, specializing in Construction Risk Management and Green Buildings. She has a unique blend of experience from both the public and private sector.
Ayanda Magida is a faculty and researcher in the Chair in Digital Business (BCX) and a PhD Candidate at Wits Business School. In 2019 she made the Mail and Guardian list of young South Africans in the education category.
Her research interest includes the economic and social impact of digital disruption, digital transformation and the 4th Industrial Revolution. Her doctoral research focuses on the nexus between the digital divide, income inequality and social cohesion in South Africa.
As the Curriculum and Teaching Team Leader at Wits University, Dr Najma Agherdien works on projects relating to establishing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL), (re)designing programmes and courses amongst others.
She is a member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) and at international level she is a mentor on the Open Education for a Better World (OE4BW) programme.
Dr. Prudence Ditlopo is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Health Policy. She obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree at the University of the Witwatersrand.
She has 18 years research experience in public health, including the intersections between health care provision, human resources for health, gender and reproductive health. Dr Ditlopo is currently leading the IMAGENE project, which is an acronym derived from the aim of the study, namely Investigating the empirical relationship among health facility MAnagement and GovernancE, Nursing practice Environment, health workforce outcomes and quality of care
Dr Ann George is a lecturer in the Centre for Health Science Education in the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Her Female Academic Leadership Fellowship project on design-based research into developing and implementing a clinical training open online course into the undergraduate paediatric clinical teaching programme forms part of a larger NRF-funded Thuthuka project investigating the effectiveness of online learning in addressing the challenges facing health sciences education.
My name is Mohlalakoma Therecia Ngwako, I am a control systems engineer and an associate lecturer at the University of Wits. I am passionate about women development and empowerment.
I specialize in modeling and automation of systems using energy-based approaches and optimization techniques.
Most recently, my work has been on efficient energy optimization of electric mining vehicles.
Nicole De Wet-Billings, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Demography and Population Studies department and Assistant Dean for Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of Humanities, at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Her research interests include adolescent health and mortality outcomes in South Africa. Prof. De Wet-Billings’ research on the FALF programme will explore the impact of Covid-19 and other challenges youth face in transitioning to adulthood.
Dr Nonhlanhla Nxumalo is the Director at the Centre for Health Policy; School of Public Health (SPH). She is a senior researcher with over 10 years of experience in health policy and systems research.
Her current work aims to examine the implementation of the CHW programme in South Africa and the extent to which it can contribute to universal health coverage. She is one of the coordinators and a lecturer of two modules within the SPH Master of Public Health (MPH) programme and supervises MPH and PhD students.
Dr. Tiisetso Elizabeth Lephoto is a lecturer and research leader in the Nematology and Bioprocess laboratory, currently supervising 10 postgraduate students and graduated 13 postgraduates so far at Wits University. She is a multi-award-winning scientist, trailblazer, and innovator.
Her research group is working on identifying microorganisms that can be applied as pest control agents in agricultural industries. She senate council member at Wits and an advisory council member of the National Advisory Council on.
My name is Thandiswa Ngcungcu (PhD). I’m a lecturer in the Division of Human Genetics.
My research interests include understanding the role of genetics in skin disorders, with a specific focus on albinism and vitiligo. The FALF award will aid in my genetics of albinism and vitiligo research.
My name is Dr Lindie Lamola, I am a lecturer and research scientist at the Division of Human Genetics, University of the Witwatersrand.
My research interest is in inherited cancers and I am currently the principal investigator of the Paediatric Cancer (PeCan) project, where, together with my team, make use of Next Generation technologies to elucidate role of Genetics in childhood cancers
Dr Boni Zungu is a senior lecturer in the Department of African Languages.
Her current areas of research are in African Indigenous Knowledge Systems and focusing in the plight of rural women, power dynamics and gender politics.
Bontle Tladi is a Lecturer in Industrial Engineering, where she primarily teaches Industrial Engineering Design.
Her research interests are broadly in the extension of design to the areas of social impact and social innovation. Her PhD topic is titled: "Co-creation of social value: a narrative inquiry into relational models of social innovation".
Dr. Maya Makatini is an organic chemistry senior lecturer in the school of chemistry.
She is interested in the therapeutic properties of peptides and investigates the design and synthesis of peptidomimetics and organic molecules that could assist in wound healing, as well as animal, plant and human diseases, diagnostics and biocatalytics.
Dr Melissa Zulu is a marketing researcher and a lecturer. Some flagship projects she has been involved in include being part of the NPC’s task team assisting in the growth strategies of Township and Village Economies.
She was also a part of a team providing marketing insights to companies within insurance and telecommunications. She is currently working on the following academic research projects: data science in marketing, retail management, services marketing and township economy.
Dr Simangele Mayisela, is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand and a registered Educational Psychologist. She was a three consecutive years Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa fellowship holder for her Doctoral studies obtained from the University of Cape Town.
She is involved in several research projects, however following her research interest on school violence and learner discipline with the focus on the use corporal punishment. For FALF, her research seeks to explore the “Prevailing school discipline challenges and discipline strategies used by teachers during the covid-19 social distancing period.
This study purports to use qualitative methodology to investigate the influence of the reduced teacher-learner ratio related to covid-19 social distancing protocols on school discipline.
Veronica Ntsiea is an Associate Professor and Head of the department of Physiotherapy at University of the Witwatersrand. Qualifications: BSc Physiotherapy MEDUNSA (1995); MPH Wits (2006); PhD Wits (2013). Research interest: Neuro-rehabilitation, specifically stroke (prevention, rehabilitation and general services). Has a C2 National Research Foundation rating. Research and postgraduate outputs to date (2021): 36 research articles in accredited local and international journals; 17 MSc and 3 PhD students supervised to completion; currently supervises 7 MSc and 5 PhD students.
Current main stroke projects:
The effect of the Alexandra community stroke awareness campaign on knowledge and lifestyle modification after primary stroke.
Predictive validity of the National Health Institutes of Stroke Scale for admission into stroke rehabilitation in South Africa.
Scoping Review of Integrated Chronic Disease Management Models: An entry point for bridging the gap between population and health care needs for non-communicable diseases in Africa.
“I am the founder of the Keanu Autism Foundation, working on improving the quality of life for autistic individuals; and a Neuroscientist working on autistic brains to investigate what underlies the condition’s symptoms and what interventions may be more useful in the future”
Dr Motshabi is the Head of Anaesthesia at the School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand.
She holds a PhD in Cardiac Anaesthesia from the University of the Witwatersrand and is the current President of the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anaesthesia Society of Southern Africa (CASSA). She serves on the International Committee of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA)(American) and a member of the Regional Anesthesia for Cardiothoracic Enhanced Recovery Special Interest Group. She is the Founder of the CASSA Joint Perioperative Cardiothoracic and Vascular Congress.
She is also the Chairperson of the upcoming 19th International Congress of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia - CASSA - JPC Congress to be held in 2023. She is a regular speaker at the national South African Society of Anaesthesia Congresses and has participated in international congresses. She collaborates nationally and internationally including having a long-standing collaborative mentorship by the Harvard University’s Brigham and Women group led by Professor Stanton Shernan.
She is a recipient of the 2021 Female Academic Leadership Fellowship (FALF) which has been established by the University of the Witwatersrand’s Chancellor, Dr Judy Dlamini. She is an avid researcher with a special interest in perioperative outcomes and has published work in the fields of cardiothoracic anaesthesia and paediatrics.
