Dr Nomali Z. Ngobese is a plant physiologist who specializes in agronomy, focusing on the production of food crops and underutilised plants. Ngobese's research is on optimising the cultivation of popular crops, like potatoes, in the face of climate change, and it emphasises the potential of underutilized crops in building resilient food systems to enhance food and nutrition security. Her work extends to optimising the postharvest shelflife of crops and agroprocessing.