Creativity, perseverance and the spirit of enquiry are producing results at the NWU, which is celebrating the achievements of a larger, more diverse pool of researchers than ever before.

The NWU honoured its cream-of-the-crop researchers and innovators during the vice-chancellor’s annual Research and Innovation Excellence Awards in Potchefstroom on 24 October. Just like last year, the Faculty of Theology took top honours, winning in both the Most Productive Researcher and Most Productive Research Entity categories. The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences also received the prestigious title of Most Productive Junior Researcher. 

Many outstanding staff members and students were acknowledged at the event for their excellence in research, innovation, community involvement and creativity in 2018. This includes researchers with NRF ratings, faculties that made significant contributions to community-engaged research and students who show the most promise in innovation and doctoral studies.

The Most Productive Senior Researcher is Prof Marius Nel of the Faculty of Theology. The focus of his research is African Pentecostalism and its hermeneutical perspectives. Prof Marius investigates the influence of African Pentecostalism on different ways of reading and interpreting the Bible.

Prof Martinette Kruger, the NWU’s Most Productive Junior Researcher for 2018, is a full-time researcher and professor at Tourism Research in Economics, Environs and Society (TREES). One of her research interests is understanding how events can facilitate tourism in a developing country and multicultural society. She was also this year’s winner in the South African Women in Science Awards’ Distinguished Young Woman Researcher for Humanities and Social Sciences category. 

For the sixth consecutive year, the award for the Most Productive Research Entity went to the Unit for Reformational Theology and the Development of the South African Society, a research unit in the Faculty of Theology. 
Prof Wen-Xiu Ma of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences was honoured with the award for Most Cited Researcher.

The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Most Promising Student Innovation Idea went to Boitshepo Gopano. The Youngest female doctoral graduate is Dr Gontse Mokwatsi from the Faculty of Health Sciences and Prof Gisele Mah from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Developing Female Researcher.

During the awards, the NWU also celebrated the recent awarding of the SANOPsys SARChi Albertina Sisulu Chair in Nursing Science to Prof Siedine Coetzee. This is the first research chair in Nursing Science that the NRF has awarded. Through this chair, the NRF will contribute more than R8 million towards the development of much-needed nursing and nursing leadership skills, aimed at improving the quality of the South African nursing sector.

Prof Dan Kgwadi, vice-chancellor, said it is clear from the NWU’s research performance highlights that it has built a strong foundation that empowers researchers and scholars to soar higher and further in pursuit of their goals.
He saluted the night’s winners and applauded their commitment, perseverance and vision. 

Prof Marius Nel from the Faculty of Theology is the NWU’s Most Productive Researcher for 2018.

Prof Martinette Kruger from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences received the Most Productive Junior Researcher Award.

The Unit for Reformational Theology and the Development of the South African Society received the award for the Most Productive Research Entity for the sixth consecutive year. Prof Ferdi Kruger received the award on behalf of the unit.
Issued by NWU Corporate Relations and Marketing

Enquiries:            Willie du Plessis, communication practitioner: 082 590 0692.