College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences

Oh yes, he is unstoppable

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Dr Vhahangwele Masindi (Research fellow: CAES, Unisa) has been elected as one of the ten new 2020 South African Young Academy of Science members. He is shown here with the trophy he received when he won the TW Kambule-NSTF Award: Emerging Researcher at the NSTF-South32 Awards.

He does not cease to amaze. He was recently nominated in multiple categories in the 2019-2020 NSTF-South32 Awards, and walked off with the TW Kambule-NSTF Award: Emerging Researcher. And now, Unisa’s Dr Vhahangwele Masindi, a research fellow in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), has been elected as one of the ten new 2020 South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) members.

SAYAS considers itself as the voice of young scientists in South Africa. Among other aims, the academy contributes towards solutions to national and global challenges facing society, provides a platform for young scientists to influence policy decisions, and fosters opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations amongst young scientists. It enables South Africa’s young scientists to fully participate in local and internationally relevant research and development agendas. Its members are young scientists below the age of 40, who have PhDs and are deemed excellent in their fields of expertise.

Given his impressive profile, the election does not come as a surprise to Unisa. Apart from his position at the university, Masindi is a research manager at Magalies Water, visiting principal researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), part-time lecturer at the University of Venda (Univen), a guest editor for Minerals (MDPI) and a review editor for Frontiers in Environmental Science. He also reviews papers and proposals for national and international institutions, including the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Water Research Commission (WRC).

Speaking about his election, Masindi says he is very honoured to be one of the ten 2020 SAYAS members, adding that it is a prestigious award and he is grateful to be amongst the elite. "It is always rewarding for researchers like myself when you realise that your peers recognise you for the work you do and render recognition through elections, nomination and awards. It is a sign that your research activities are posing a notable impact to the academic communities."

"I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Unisa for affording me an opportunity as a research fellow, and a conducive platform for me to pursue these groundbreaking, novel and internationally renowned research projects, particularly my collaboration with the Department of Environmental Sciences," concluded Masindi.

Vho-Masindi, do continue to inspire rising researchers!

* By Nancy Legodi, Acting Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement

And it’s a ‘Science Oscar’ for…

Research that benefits people's lives

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Publish date: 2020/10/16

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