The National Research Foundation (NRF) has honoured three researchers from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) at its annual prestigious research awards ceremony.
The NRF Awards recognise outstanding achievements by individual researchers and teams whose excellence has significantly advanced science for the benefit of society. Their internationally competitive work is assessed on its contribution to the field of study, with a particular focus on quality and impact, among other criteria.
One of the objectives of the awards is to foster a sustained culture of advancing South Africa’s scientific knowledge and technological innovation by recognising those who use research to improve humanity.
Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande, said the NRF awards provide the nation with a sense of the extent of transformation, which is one of the critical aspects of South Africa’s public science system.
At a ceremony on Thursday 3 Sep in Gqeberha, the NRF awarded Professor John Maina and PhD student Ms Anathi Msobo from the UJ Faculty of Science; and lecturer and PhD student Ms Nthabiseng Mabale from the UJ Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture.
Recognising global research leadership
In the category of Ratings-based awards, UJ’s Prof John Maina received his fourth A-rating. A-rated researchers are recognised by their peers as leading international scholars in their field for the high quality and impact of their recent research outputs. Each rating applies for six years.
Prof Maina is a researcher in the Department of Zoology, within the UJ Faculty of Science.
Prof Maina’s research focuses on how animals breathe. To understand how breathing systems evolved and adapted, he studies how different animals exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Prof Maina studies lungs and gills across a wide variety of animals. His research looks at water-breathing, air-breathing, and animals that can breathe both air and water.
He uses high-technology tools to study these gas-exhange systems in animals, including 3D computer reconstructions, micro-CT (mCT) scanning, microscopic cell imaging and precise physical measurements.
The core of his work is to challenge and update fundamental ideas in respiratory anatomy and physiology.
His most recent projects focus on bioindicators of environmental pollution, and the hatchability of ostrich eggs.
Prof Maina analyses bird lungs and fish gills as natural warning systems to detect and measure environmental pollution. He also studies the structure of ostrich eggshells and the development of the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM)—the vital membrane that allows the embryo to breathe inside the egg.
Ostrich eggs often fail to hatch. By uncovering the structural reasons behind poor hatching rates, this work could directly help the ostrich farming industry improve its success and economic viability.
Self-reliance of women in the informal economy
In the category of Special Awards, the NRF honoured Ms Nthabiseng Mabale with a Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers.
With these awards, the NRF aims to develop and enhance the research stature of Early Career and Emerging Researchers who are NRF grant holders, recognising outstanding research performance in any discipline.
Ms Mabale lectures in Digital Media Design, in the Department of Multimedia Design within the UJ Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture.
She is researching her PhD, titled ‘Fortification of Self-Reliance and Independence of Black South African Women in Informal Businesses.’ She is examining the extent to which digital tools can be used to promote and sustain the businesses of South African women traders in the Kwa Mai-Mai community in Johannesburg.
Ms Mabale collaborates directly with the women to document their lived experiences, business practices and challenges, positioning them not merely as research subjects but as co-creators of knowledge about their own economic resilience.
The societal impact of Mabale’s research lies in its potential to strengthen the digital and economic self-reliance of women in the informal economy, a sector that remains a critical source of livelihood for many South African households, while advancing a more inclusive understanding of entrepreneurship and resilience among historically marginalised communities.
Mabale’s research is funded through the NRF-FirstRand Empowerment Foundation Black Academics Advancement Programme (BAAP). This is a national initiative supporting Black academics studying towards their doctoral degrees.
Identifying antiviral compounds from SA’s medicinal plants
In the category of Special Awards, the NRF honoured Ms Anathi Msobo with a Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers.
Ms Msobo is a PhD researcher in the Department of Biochemistry, within the UJ Faculty of Science.
Her NRF-funded research focuses on finding new ways to treat COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). Specifically, she is searching for natural compounds in medicinal plants that can block a vital protein (main protease, or Mpro) the SARS-CoV-2 virus and others need to replicate and multiply.
Historically, searching for medicines inside plants has been a slow, trial-and-error process. To make this search much faster and more accurate, this research merges AI and computer science, advanced chemistry, and physical laboratory testing.
The research has potential significance for both healthcare and scientific innovation. By developing a scalable approach to identifying antiviral compounds from medicinal plants, it could contribute to future antiviral drug discovery and pandemic preparedness.
The research also supports the sustainable utilisation of South Africa’s rich plant biodiversity and contributes to the country’s bioeconomy, while strengthening capacity in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, metabolomics and computational drug discovery.
The approach has the potential to expand the exploration of under-studied medicinal plants and identify new sources of bioactive compounds. Importantly, the framework could be adapted beyond COVID-19 to investigate other infectious diseases and therapeutic targets, contributing to broader efforts in health innovation and drug discovery.
Commenting on these achievements, UJ Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi said: “The NRF Awards represent a wonderful and prestigious recognition for any scholar; it is something to treasure. UJ has over the years shown a stronger performance in these prestigious awards, and this year is not different. This reflects the quality of our research and innovation, which contributes towards the sustainability of our communities and the broader society, as underpinned by our Strategic Plan 2035.”
Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation, Professor Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya, said the award winners are a testament to the hard work and dedication by UJ academics and researchers. “The awards show the quality of the research, not only for its own sake but for societal impact and sustainability. As a university, we are immensely proud of the achievements and of the work of our scholars and we hope the awards will inspire more students.”
