UMP is delighted to announce the selection of Dr Ayanda Shabalala to the DHET Future Professors Programme. This highly competitive national initiative aims to nurture and advance a next generation professoriate, generating knowledge embedded in local challenges, connected globally.
Dr Shabala is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for the BSc in Environmental Sciences, School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, in the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences. Her research focuses on water and wastewater treatment, acid mine drainage remediation, climate resilience and adaptation. Dr Shabalala has presented her research at local and international conferences, and she has published her work in various accredited journals. In 2023, she graduated from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland) with a postgraduate qualification in Vocational Teacher Education, and received the Emerging Faculty Researcher Award from UMP in the same year.
Dr Shabalala is a recipient of the Water Research Commission water technologies demonstration programme grant, and is an NRF Thuthuka grantholder in the post-PhD track.
Her long-term contribution to the future of academia will include conducting research on the development of low-cost and low-maintenance technologies for polluted mine waters, designing and implementing green infrastructure solutions that can act as buffers against risks arising from climate change, and providing a well-rounded learning experience for students. “The Future Professors Programme will provide much-needed support to achieve these goals; and I am filled with excitement and determination to seize this opportunity”, Dr Shabalala said.
This is the fourth FPP award to UMP, following the selection of Dr Mduduzi Ndlovu, Prof Gordon O’Brien, and Dr Julia Giddy in previous rounds.