Research News

New Carpentries-certified instructor trainers to bolster digital skills in research

Two digital humanities researchers from the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) at the North-West University (NWU) have been included in The Carpentries' newest cohort of certified instructor trainers.

Following the completion of a 10-week long Train-the-Trainer course, Mmasibidi Setaka and Rooweither Mabuya…

In a struggling economy, market to Millennials or miss out

Their pockets help fuel our economy and their spending habits determine the success of many business endeavours. They were born between 1981 and 1996, they are called Millennials and, according to Prof Roland Goldberg from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North-West University (NWU), retailers would be remiss to ignore…

Master’s student shines in FameLab competition

Carla Horn, a master's degree student in nursing sciences at the North-West University (NWU), stood out in the FameLab competition held on 21 September at the National Research Foundation Auditorium in Pretoria.

Securing her a spot among the top 10 participants, Carla’s presentation focused on how our government healthcare system can…

NWU improves its teaching in rankings

Times Higher Education (THE) has ranked the North-West University (NWU) among the top seven local universities in their latest World University Rankings.

The ranking agency released the rankings for their 2023 cycle on 27 September. It places the NWU in the 601 to 800 category - the same as in last year’s ranking.

Compared to…

Prof Piketh honoured for his lifetime contribution to air quality

Prof Stuart Piketh from the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management in the School of Geo and Spatial Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) was recently honoured with the prestigious National Association for Clean Air (NACA) Golden Award during the annual NACA conference.

The NACA Golden Award serves as recognition not only…

Exotic pollen attacks are on the rise, causing serious allergies

As winter ended and spring entered with sunny pleasantness, thousands of “attackers” sprang into action to plague the part of the population that suffers from allergies and hay fever.

According to Prof Frank Neumann, subject chair for geology and soil sciences at the North-West University’s (NWU's) School for Geo- and Spatial Sciences,…

Engineers on track to take local innovations to Cybathlon in Switzerland

Zürich 2024, here we come, complete with a state-of-the-art prosthetic leg and wheelchair.

Headed by the formidable North-West University (NWU) team of Prof André Grobler and Ian Thomson from the Faculty of Engineering and Dr Mark Kramer from Health Sciences, the innovators are preparing to take the fruits of their research and designs…

Meet our researchers

The faculties at the North-West University (NWU) are doing exciting work on the research front.

Prof Moses Retselisitsoe Phooko is the director of Professional Development and Community Engagement in the Faculty of Law. His research is on the Southern African Development Community (SADC). He explains more about what his research entails…

Understanding the impact of family structure on street children

A recent study conducted by Dr Karabo Mohapanele, a PhD graduate in sociology from the North-West University (NWU), sheds light on the crucial role of families in influencing children's behaviour and shaping their lives, and on how family dynamics and structure play a significant role in the emergence of street children in North West.

Shaping future drug development with ethical approaches

In the realm of pharmaceutical research Prof Chrisna Gouws, a professor at the Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen™) of the North-West University (NWU), is leading a significant charge towards transforming drug development.

Her work in animal-free testing methods revolutionises how pharmaceuticals are researched…