Catalytic Niche Areas

News & events

Upcoming Events

Series 1: 2025. Revisiting Catalytic Niche Area Relevance and Responsiveness With a 2025 Catalytic Niche Area Needs Assessment

CNA Working Group

FACILITATOR/S

1 Marine Studies [pdf]

Prof Stefan Schepers

Prof Jessica Murray

2 Aviation and Aeronautical studies [pdf]

Prof Stefan Schepers

Prof Jessica Murray

Automotive [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

Energy [pdf]

Prof Stefan Schepers

Prof Jessica Murray

5 Space Study and Square Kilometer Array [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

6 Fourth Industrial Revolution and Digitalisation [pdf]

Prof Stefan Schepers

Prof Jessica Murray

7 Natural Sciences (Biotechnological studies) [pdf]

Prof Stefan Schepers

Prof Jessica Murray

Health Studies / Medicine [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

9 Feminist, Womanist, Bosadi Theorisations [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

10 Student Support and Co-Curricular Activities [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

Series 2: 2025. Catalytic Niche Area Intersections and Interdependencies: Mobilising the Power and Potential of MIT

Series 3: 2025. Catalytic Niche Area Sustainability, Skills Transfer and Amplifying Emerging Scholarly Voices

Series 4: 2025.  Consolidating UNISA’s Institutional-Level Catalytic Niche Area Response

 

Past Events

CGS-facilitated CNA working groups launch: November 2023

In this series, we launched the core component of our College of Graduate Studies catalytic niche area optimisation support interventions, namely the CGS-facilitated CNA working groups. These working groups are multi-disciplinary, and they are open to academics and postgraduate students at all levels. They offer an institutional-level scholarly space where researchers from all Colleges can interact beyond disciplinary silos, based on their shared interest in a catalytic niche area.

Title

PRESENTER

Research Activities and Interests in Energy Systems

Prof Charles Mbohwa

Distinguished Visiting Professor

College of Graduate Studies

UNESCO Chair on ODL’s Contribution to Student Support and Co-Curricular Activities, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Digitalisation

Prof Moeketsi Letseka

Distinguished Visiting Professor

College of Graduate Studies

 

Techno-economic Feasibility and Environmental Sustainability of Bioenergy Resource Potential

in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe

Dr Trust Nhubu

Postdoctoral Fellow

College of Graduate Studies

 

Digital Tech:  Critical Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Myths, Risks and Opportunities

Dr Mahlet Zimeta

Visiting Senior Fellow
College of Graduate Studies

 

Series 1: 2024. Expansive CNA conceptualisations

This series initiated the CGS-designed scaffolded approach to CNA optimisation by exploring expansive catalytic niche area conceptualisations and multidisciplinary avenues into catalytic niche area participation.

CNA Working Group

FACILITATOR/S

1 Marine Studies [pdf]

Prof Linda Jewell

Prof Jessica Murray

2 Aviation and Aeronautical studies[pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

3Automotive [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

4 Energy [pdf]

Dr Aluwani Tagwi 

Prof Jessica Murray

5 Space Study and Square Kilometer Array [pdf]

 

Prof James Chibueze

Prof Jessica Murray

6 Fourth Industrial Revolution and Digitalisation [pdf]

Dr Karen Cloete

Prof Jessica Murray

7 Natural Sciences (Biotechnological studies) [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

8Health Studies / Medicine [pdf]

 

Prof Magda Slabbert 

Prof Jessica Murray

9Feminist, Womanist, Bosadi Theorisations [pdf]

Ms Sibusisiwe Nxongo 

Prof Jessica Murray

10Student Support and Co-Curricular Activities [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

 

Series 2: 2024. Showcasing CNA research excellence

In line with our scaffolded approach to catalytic niche area optimisation, this series included more discipline-specific content. While the 1st 2024 series of CGS-facilitated catalytic niche area sessions offered a very general introduction to the niche area for interested stakeholders to assess potential alignments, this series targeted scholars who are clear about their commitment to the niche area. We anchored the discussions in selected catalytic niche area readings and expert presentations.

CNA Working Group & Title

FACILITATOR/S

1 Marine Studies
“Strategic Document Delimiting Coastal and Marine Studies at the University of South Africa”

Prof Godwell Nhamo

Prof Linda Jewell

Prof Jessica Murray

2 Aviation and Aeronautical studies
“Exploring Lived Realities: Practice-Based Research on Women Drone Pilots”

Prof Annemarie Davis

Prof Jessica Murray

3 Automotive

“Growing the South African Market for Electric Vehicles”
and
Convergence in Automotive, Electricity, and ICT Socio-technical Systems”

Prof Chris Thomas
Prof Peter Wells

Prof Jessica Murray

4 Energy

“Argo-Waste to Energy”

Prof Tondi Matambo Prof Jessica Murray

5 Space Study and Square Kilometer Array

“The Evolution of Stars and Stellar Tangos”

Dr Itumeleng M. Monageng

Prof Jessica Murray

6 Fourth Industrial Revolution and Digitalisation

“Publishing Alignment to the 4IR and Digitalisation Niche Area”

Dr Siphamandla Mncube

Prof Jessica Murray

7 Natural Sciences (Biotechnological studies)

“Working Enhancing Banana Production & Empowering Small-Scale Farmers in SA: A Resilient Approach to Addressing Climate Change, Food Insecurity, and Market Opportunities through Novel Varieties and Niche Market Development”

Prof Michael Pillay

Prof Jessica Murray

8 Health Studies / Medicine

“The Need for Donated Human Organs” AND
“Conspiracy Theories and the Afrikaner: A COVID-19 Study”

Prof Magda Slabbert,

Dr Nicola Davies-Laubscher 

Prof Jessica Murray

9 Feminist, Womanist, Bosadi Theorisations

“Their Hermeneutics was Strange, ours was Necessary:  The Insurgency of Bosadi”

Dr Lerato Mokoena

Prof Jessica Murray

10 Student Support and Co-Curricular Activities

“Navigating one’s niche area / one’s research agenda”

Prof Letseka Moeketsi

Prof Jessica Murray

 

Series 3: 2024. Solidifying epistemic communities of catalytic niche area practice at UNISA

For this 3rd series, we focused on synthesising our existing catalytic niche area optimisation efforts as we moved towards developing institutional-level catalytic niche area responses. We focused on solidifying epistemic communities of catalytic niche area practice at UNISA, and we explored how this could be facilitated by our CGS ScienceOpen Catalytic Niche Area Collections.

CNA Working Group

FACILITATOR

1 Marine Studies

Prof Jessica Murray

2 Aviation and Aeronautical studies

Prof Jessica Murray

3 Automotive

 

Prof Jessica Murray

4 Energy

Prof Jessica Murray

5 Space Study and Square Kilometer Array

 

Prof Jessica Murray

6 Fourth Industrial Revolution and Digitalisation

Prof Jessica Murray

7 Natural Sciences (Biotechnological studies)

Prof Jessica Murray

8 Health Studies / Medicine

 

Prof Jessica Murray

9 Feminist, Womanist, Bosadi Theorisations

Prof Jessica Murray

10 Student Support and Co-Curricular Activities

Prof Jessica Murray

 

Series 4: 2024. Locating ourselves at the cutting-edges of catalytic niche area scholarly disciplines

This focus of this series of sessions was aligned with the larger mandate to establish UNISA as a leading academic voice in the catalytic niche areas. In order to interrogate how we could shape CNA scholarship, we needed to familiarise ourselves with the most current interventions in the relevant research fields. We thus anchored the sessions in recent outputs related to the CNAs. Attendees were encouraged to consider questions such as

• How do the readings shape current thinking about the CNA?

• What emerges when reading the texts from an explicitly African positionality?

• What are the readings’ implications for practice beyond academia?

• Can you draw any linkages between your own research expertise and the readings?

CNA Working Group

FACILITATOR

1Marine Studies [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

2 Aviation and Aeronautical studies [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

3 Automotive [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

4 Energy [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

5 Space Study and Square Kilometer Array [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

6 Fourth Industrial Revolution and Digitalisation  [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

7 Natural Sciences (Biotechnological studies) [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

8 Health Studies / Medicine  [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

9 Feminist, Womanist, Bosadi Theorisations [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

10Student Support and Co-Curricular Activities  [pdf]

Prof Jessica Murray

Last modified: 2025/03/14