Wits University congratulates the finalists of the NSTF Awards
- Wits University
16 Wits researchers amongst the finalists in the ‘Science Oscars’.
Wits University proudly congratulates its researchers, scientists and innovators who have been named finalists in the prestigious 2025/2026 National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)-South32 Awards, widely regarded as South Africa’s premier science, engineering, technology (SET) and innovation awards.
The announcement highlights the exceptional breadth and depth of research excellence at Wits, with finalists recognised across categories ranging from lifetime achievement and emerging research leadership to science diplomacy, engineering capacity development, research software and innovation.
Professor Lynn Morris, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation at Wits University, says:
“We are immensely proud of our researchers and innovators who continue to push the boundaries of knowledge and create meaningful impact in society. The strong representation of Wits finalists across multiple categories reflects the University’s commitment to research excellence, innovation and addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing South Africa and the world.
These achievements underscore why Wits was recently ranked the leading university in Africa for innovation performance and recognised as the top university in Africa in the latest CWUR rankings. We congratulate all the finalists and wish them every success in the awards process.”
The following Witsies are amongst the finalists in the Lifetime Award category :
- Professor for her pioneering work on gender-based violence and health
- Professor and Professor for their contributions to healthy ageing research across South and sub-Saharan Africa
- Professor Bavesh Kana for advancing infectious disease science and diagnostics
- Professor Dorrit Posel for her influential economic research; and Professor Mary Scholes for her work in environmental sustainability and climate science.
In the TW Kambule-NSTF Researcher Award category, Wits finalists include:
- Professor Lisa du Toit, whose research focuses on advanced nanoparticulate drug delivery systems
- Professor Musa Manzi for innovative seismic technologies that improve resource exploration and infrastructure development
- Dr Simone Richardson for her work on antibody-mediated protection and vaccine development.
The University is also strongly represented in the TW Kambule-NSTF Emerging Researcher Award category. Finalists include:
- Dr Gabriella Hyman for translating surgical research into AI-enabled healthcare solutions
- Professor Farzahna Mohamed for developing low-cost metabolic risk tools linked to COVID-19 outcomes
- Dr Isaac Nape for advancing quantum communication, sensing and computing technologies.
Further recognition comes through Professor Michael Bodunrin’s nomination in the Engineering Research Capacity Development Award category for his leadership in building metallurgical and materials engineering research capacity in South Africa.
Professor Farzahna Mohamed has also been named a finalist in the NSTF-SAMRC Clinician-Scientist Award.
Professor is recognised in the Science Diplomacy for Africa Award category for her global leadership in cervical cancer prevention and vaccine research.
Other Wits-affiliated finalists include Professor Gordon Cooper, in the newly introduced Research Software category, for developing widely used geophysical data-processing software.
A collaboration between the South 第一吃瓜网 National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and the Wits Global Change Institute are in line for the award in the Data for Research category.
Innovation is also celebrated through AIrSynQ Systems, led by Professor Bruce Mellado, which has been shortlisted in the Innovation Award: Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) category for transforming air quality monitoring research into an AI-powered environmental risk service.
In addition to their Lifetime Award nominations, Professors Kathleen Kahn and Stephen Tollman have been recognised in the Special Annual Theme Award: Healthy Ageing category for their longstanding contribution to understanding healthy ageing across the life course in Africa.
The NSTF-South32 Awards celebrate individuals, teams and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to science, engineering, technology and innovation in South Africa.
The winners will be announced at the NSTF Awards Gala Event later this year.
More information about the awards and finalists is available on the NSTF website: .