Thabiso Mzinyati, a current PhD candidate in environmental chemistry at the University of Johannesburg, Faculty of Science, has recently been awarded a research grant by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) German Academic Exchange Service to conduct part of his doctoral research in Germany. He is presently a visiting scientist at the University of Bonn Medical School in the Anatomical Institute, headed by Professor Benjamin Odermatt, an expert in neuroanatomy.
Thabiso’s research aims to establish a realistic environmental risk assessment of transformed engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) released from nano-enabled products (NEPs). He is investigating the toxicity potential and effects of exposure scenarios of the released and transformed ENMs using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo-toxicity model. This project is in conjunction with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), supervised by Dr. Seopela (UJ), Dr. Lehutso (CSIR), and Dr. Thwala (ASSAF), and funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI).
Growing up in a small village surrounded by mining activities outside Rustenburg in the North-West Province, Thabiso was fascinated by the processes of extracting minerals, separating and processing them, and converting them into valuable products. This curiosity led him to pursue a career in science. He completed a National Diploma and Bachelor’s degree at the Vaal University of Technology in 2015 and 2017, respectively, funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and Mining Qualification Authority (MQA) bursaries.
In 2017, Thabiso was awarded an African Business Education (ABE) Initiative scholarship by the Japanese government to study at Doshisha University in Kyoto City, Japan. He graduated with a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering (cum laude) in March 2020. His research was presented nationally and internationally, winning several awards, including a gold prize for best research at the 13th Korea-Japan Symposium on Materials and Interfaces (KJSMI) held in Busan, South Korea, in 2018.
Thabiso is excited about his current journey in Germany, where he hopes to gain knowledge that will benefit both himself and many South Africans. He left for Germany in June 2024 and will return to South Africa in December 2024. “I am grateful to all my research supervisors, funders, and family for their unwavering support and always believing in me,” he said.
