Teaching and Research Community Rewarded for Excellence During Vice-Chancellor’s Academic Awards

It was celebrations galore at the recent Vice-Chancellor’s Academic Awards as academic staff received their proverbial flowers for the outstanding contributions they have made to the teaching and learning, research and innovation as well as community engagement agendas.

The academic awards were held at Umfolozi Hotel Casino Convention Resort. Organising the annual black-tie ceremony is a responsibility borne by the University’s Research and Innovation Office, as directed by the Office of the University of Zululand (UNIZULU) Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Xoliswa Mtose. This is to acknowledge and promote excellence among UNIZULU academics, one of the cornerstones of the University’s culture. Simultaneously, this aligns with the institution’s strategic vision to become a node for African thought by bolstering and advancing research output of African scholars.

This year’s awards ceremony marked a decade since UNIZULU began celebrating academic excellence. More than 40 recipients were handed over awards in the Teaching and Learning, Research as well as Community Engagement areas.

According to Professor Byron Brown, Director of Research and Innovation, the awardees were integral in achieving two feats in 2023: qualifying the institution for the National Research Foundation (NRF) Research Acceleration Award and graduating the highest number of PhD candidates in the history of UNIZULU.

Top Awardees

Among the top winners of the night was Professor Neerish Revaprasadu, a nanotechnology expert from the Chemistry Department, Professor Vetrimurugan Elumalai from the Department of Hydrology, and Dr Ayansola Ayandibu from the Department of Business Management.

Prof Revaprasadu was awarded the Excellence in Research award. He also received an award in the Innovation and Creative category which acknowledges intellectual property creators who submitted the most actionable disclosure leading to either a patent, trademark or readers’ right. His final award was in the Recognition category which was handed over to individuals who either obtained external grants of 800 thousand rands or more or were recognised externally by an entity for excellence in research, innovation or creative work.

Prof Elumalai also received three awards in the Excellence in Research, Special Award of SarChi Chair as well as Recognition categories. On how he faired during the ceremony, the winner said: “I would like to say thanks to our Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, the Research and Innovation Office, my dean and all my colleagues. I always say hard work never fails so I believe this recognition came through hard work.”

The only academic to receive awards across the three areas, Dr Ayandibu first swept the Developed Academics award. He thereafter shared the spotlight with five other colleagues in the Emerging Researcher. Finally, he shared an award with Dr Sheunesu Zhou from the Department of Business Management in the category of Service learning (individual and Teamwork).

Words of Encouragement

From the speeches of the evening, one message was clear: hard work warrants rewarding.  Prof Prince Jaca, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Institutional Support, extended words of congratulations to all the recipients, highlighting that Executive Management deemed it necessary to close off the year by recognising them for their excellence. “You are representatives of the culture of excellence at UNIZULU,” he acknowledged.

During his keynote address, Dr Patrick Nonjola also congratulated the recipients saying that their recognition was “a symbol of excellence and acceleration”. Dr Nonjola is the Acting Executive Director in the Reviews and Evaluations Directorate of the Research, Innovation and Impact Support and Advancement Business Unit at the NRF.

Encouraging the invitees, he mentioned: “HDIs and universities of technology are being challenged to be torch bearers as the country strives to become a knowledge base economy and to address issues of high unemployment level, income disparities, poverty and complex cocktail of other social problems that exist in our societies. The ability of the University of Zululand to positively respond to these challenges will not only be able to leverage the funding that is available but also help with building the currency and social values of the institution and its contribution to providing solutions to some of the country’s pressing challenges.”

He concluded with saying that the NRF is expecting UNIZULU scholars to be at the forefront of the country’s greatest science discoveries.  

• Naledi Hlefane