The North-West University (NWU) is proud to celebrate the recent graduation of Dr Nozipho Phila Gamedze, who received her PhD on 16 July 2025. Her research marks a significant contribution to both sustainable agriculture and nanotechnology, showcasing the power of interdisciplinary science rooted in African innovation.
At a time when the role of higher-education institutions (HEIs) is increasingly tied to their relevance and impact in society, alumni have emerged as one of the most vital stakeholders in driving institutional success and community development.
The Optentia research unit, in collaboration with the People and Culture department at the North-West University (NWU), recently honoured a group of exceptional academic mentors and mentees who completed the university’s flagship development programmes: Being a Successful Academic Mentor and Being a Successful Academic Mentee.
Between February 2024 and June 2025, several cohorts of the programmes were hosted, collectively training 75 academic mentors and 77 mentees across the NWU’s faculties and campuses.
By Gofaone Motsamai
When Perpetual Umeaku realised that many communities lacked access to health information in a language they could understand, she set out to challenge the status quo and started exploring indigenous languages in health communication.
This focus led her to win the Doctoral Poster Competition at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) 2025 Research and Innovation Week for her study, titled “Examining indigenous language health media potentials for a sustainable future: a multi-stakeholder perspective”.
When a research paper leaps from the quiet world of academia into the glare of public debate, it is rarely accidental. For Prof Suranie Horn of the North-West University (NWU), that moment arrived when she and her colleagues revealed that HIV antiretrovirals (ARVs) such as lopinavir and efavirenz were not only saving lives but also seeping into South Africa’s rivers. The study showed that residues downstream of wastewater treatment plants were accumulating in aquatic ecosystems, with troubling consequences.
Genomic medicine promises to revolutionise healthcare, but Africa remains dangerously underrepresented in the data that drives it. This gap leaves thousands of families without answers and, too often, without hope. At the North-West University’s (NWU) Mitochondria Research Laboratory and the National Metabolomics Platform, Dr Maryke Schoonen is determined to change that.
South Africans tend to think of retirement in rands and cents. Yet, research by Lulama Mabala suggests that what people do with their time after leaving work is just as critical as how they fund it.
As Starlink’s vast constellation of satellites traverse the sky in low-Earth orbit, they evoke wonder and awe in those gazing up at the night heavens. Science fiction has become technological reality. Yet, for South Africans, the benefits remain as distant as the stars beyond our solar system.
Research is at a crossroads, but the choice facing researchers is clear: make a difference to the world’s most pressing problems or be relegated to irrelevance.
“We are reminded that the decisions we make regarding the type of research we prioritise will either be the turning point towards a more sustainable and equitable world, or a missed opportunity by which history will judge us harshly,” said Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU) at the opening of NWU Research and Innovation (R&I) Week.
Postgraduate students at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus were given a timely reminder to prioritise their mental health during a mental health awareness workshop.
The in-person session, which Student Counselling and Development hosted on 5 August 2025, was for postgraduate students from different faculties, creating a safe space to discuss the realities of academic life, the pressures of balancing multiple responsibilities and the importance of taking time to focus on well-being.