The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has achieved an unprecedented cumulative number of 389 rated researchers from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, reinforcing the university’s position as a leading contributor to knowledge production in the country. UJ now has nine (9) A-rated researchers. An NRF A-rated researcher is a leading international scholar who is unequivocally recognized by peers as a world leader in their field of research.
The A-rating comprises two sub-categories are A1 (researchers recognised universally by their peers for maintaining a high-quality, wide international impact on their field) and A2: Researchers recognised by the overwhelming majority of reviewers for the wide or confined impact of their recent research.
Recently, six UJ top researchers were awarded ‘B’ ratings, which are awarded to researchers whose recent research outputs demonstrate a high level of quality and impact. In addition, the researchers are internationally recognised by their peers. This brings the total number of B-rated researchers in the institution to 73.
The researchers are Professor David Bilchitz from the Faculty of Law; Professors Soebur Razzaque and Andre Strydom from the Faculty of Science; Salim Vally and Shireen Motala from the Faculty of Education; and Peter Olubambi from the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.
Prof David Bilchitz – B1 Rating
Prof David Bilchitz obtained a B1 rating.
Prof Bilchitz is a Professor of Fundamental Rights and Constitutional Law at UJ and Director of the South African Institute for Advanced Constitutional, Public, Human Rights and International Law.
His scholarship has made a substantial contribution to the field of constitutional and fundamental rights law, with a particular focus on socio-economic rights, business and human rights, the limitation of rights, religious freedom, LGBT rights and the protection of animals. His academic influence is reflected in his 2,990 Google Scholar citations and an h-index of 25.
In October 2023, he was appointed by the President of the Republic of South Africa to serve as an Acting Justice of the Constitutional Court from February to May 2024 – the first academic to be appointed directly to act as a justice on the Constitutional Court in 20 years. He has also achieved significant international recognition with his recent election as Honorary President of the International Association of Constitutional Law after having been Vice-President and Secretary-General of the Association for many years.
Prof Soebur Razzaque – B1 Rating
Prof Soebur Razzaque has received renewal of a B1 rating, first awarded in 2020. Prof Razzaque is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physics within the Faculty of Science and has served as a professor since 2013. He has also been the Director of the Centre for Astro-Particle Physics (CAPP) since 2018.
His research focuses on neutrino, cosmic-ray, and gamma-ray astrophysics, neutrino physics, and multiwavelength and multi-messenger astronomy. His research has a strong international dimension, with collaborations involving major scientific projects such as the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, the Cherenkov Telescope Array and the KM3NeT Neutrino Telescope.
In addition to his research and international collaborations, Prof. Razzaque supervises postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows, contributes to mentorship and teaching, and supports the development of emerging researchers in the field.
Prof Salim Vally – B1 Rating
Prof Vally Salim holds the DHET/DSI/NRF Research Chair in Community, Adult and Worker Education (CAWE) in the Faculty of Education. His research has made a significant impact by connecting academic scholarship with social justice, anti-racism, education rights, migration and refugee rights, education policy, and social movement activism in South Africa.
He has done extensive research on youth unemployment and the feasibility of free, quality education in the country. In 2026, he submitted research to the Fees Commission arguing that South Africa has the fiscal capacity to provide free tertiary education through increased taxation of the less than 1% of high-net-worth individuals and stronger measures to address illicit financial flows and malfeasance, rather than placing a disproportionate financial burden on poorer households.
His last four co-edited books are: Education, Economy and Society (2014), Reflections on Knowledge, Learning and Social Movements: History’s Schools (2018), The University and Social Justice Across the Globe (2020) and Against Racial Capitalism: The Selected Writings of Neville Alexander (2023).
His abiding interest is in linking academic scholarship with societal concerns, community participation and global solidarity.
Prof Shireen Motala – B2 Rating
Prof Motala is the South African Research Chair: Teaching and Learning (SARChI: T &L). This is a Tier 1 national research chair supported by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and by the NRF. As an NRF-Rated researcher, she was recently appointed Vice President of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). These highly coveted Research Chairs are awarded to scholars who are proven leaders in their disciplines, both nationally and internationally.
The SARChI: T&L is located within the Faculty of Education. Prof Motala has made a profound impact on education policy, curriculum reform, and equity in South African and international higher education. Furthermore, in global partnerships, she has fostered long-term regional and international research collaborations linking African universities with Asian and European institutions.
Prof Andre Strydom – B2 Rating
Prof Strydom is a Professor in the Department of Physics within the Faculty of Science. His primary area of expertise is the physics of highly correlated matter, with research interests spanning the magnetism of 4f-electron systems, low-temperature charge and spin ordering phenomena, and the ground states of matter.
His research is supported by specialised experimental facilities within the Highly Correlated Matter Research Group, enabling investigations across a wide range of temperatures and magnetic fields. His research impact is reflected in his scholarly citation metrics, with 5,927 citations and an h-index of 38. Over the past five years, his publications have received 2,425 citations, contributing to a recent h-index of 23. These metrics, alongside his specialised experimental research, highlight the reach of his work in the scientific community.
Prof Peter Olubambi – B3 Rating
Prof Peter Olubambi is a UJ Professor in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and Director of the Centre for Nanoengineering and Advanced Materials (CNAM). His progression from NRF C2 to B3 reflects growing recognition of the quality, impact and international visibility of his research.
His research spans advanced alloys and composites, circular metallurgy, spark plasma sintering, additive manufacturing, materials characterisation and tribocorrosion. His work addresses critical challenges across strategic sectors, including aerospace and automotive, defence, mining, energy, and biomedical engineering, while advancing sustainable development. His strong scholarly impact is demonstrated by 12,276 Google Scholar citations with an h-index of 56 and 9,195 Scopus citations with an h-index of 49, reflecting the sustained influence of his research.
This brings a total of 82 of UJ’s A- and B-rated researchers. Further, 32 UJ researchers were recently newly C-rated, and 196 were previously C-rated. According to the NRF C-rating category, these are established with a record of sustained productivity in research that is nationally and some internationally recognised.
UJ further achieved 11 newly Y-rated, and 79 were previously Y-rated. This NRF rating category recognises emerging researchers with the potential of becoming future research leaders. This research capital contributes significantly to UJ’s high-quality research that continues to impact society.
