Bright research star is lighting the way
• Category winner in the annual DST South African Women in Science Awards is making her mark in the community and beyond, writes Alf James
Dr Tiisetso Lephoto is one of the country’s brightest young researchers and is passionate about science, agriculture and innovation
She was last year’s winner in the “Distinguished Young Researcher: Research and Innovation” category of the Department of Science and Technology’s South African Women in Science Awards (SAWiSA).
“Being nominated and winning the award meant a great deal to me, because it shows that the work I am doing is appreciated. Everything we do as scientists is to better the lives of people in our communities, country and ultimately the whole world.
“Winning the award serves as inspiration for many other young women to reach for their dreams and realise the power of their potential.
“I am grateful to the Department of Science and Technology for recognising women scientists and researchers. To this day it has motivated me to develop in my field and advance microbiology, biotechnology, nematodes and bacterial genomics, nematology and bioinformatics research,” says Lephoto.
Her area of research focuses on isolating and identifying entomopathogenic nematodes which are biological control agents (natural insect pest controllers) that may be used in agricultural industries to control problematic insects instead of using synthetic chemical pesticides, which could have negative consequences in human, animal and plant health.
Lephoto obtained her PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in February 2016 under the supervision of Professor Vincent Gray. She is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and a One Young World Ambassador.
Lephoto has published papers in international journals and has presented her research at national and international conferences, including the Agricultural Bioscience International Conference in Australia in 2015. In 2016, she was selected as one of 87 women in the world who participated in the TechWomen Emerging Leaders Program in the US. Lephoto has supervised eight honours and six masters students.
Although she has reached the heady heights of advanced scientific research, Lephoto was educated in schools without the most basic scientific instruments such as a microscope, let alone a science laboratory.
Yet an intense desire to succeed and a hunger for knowledge inspired her to overcome her circumstances.
Born and raised in Meadowlands, Soweto, she attended primary school at Thakhisa and proceeded to Forte High were she obtained a senior certificate with distinction and was one of the top pupils in Soweto in 2006.
Lephoto’s current postdoctoral research, which she is continuing at Wits, is aimed at increasing the knowledge of the molecular genetics and biochemical mechanisms underlying the dynamics associated with the insect-killing nematodes.
“The ultimate aim is to create a biological control agent that will reduce the use of synthetic chemical pesticides in farms and agricultural industries,” says Lephoto.
One of her goals as a postdoctoral research scientist is the analysis of the annotated whole genomes of the nematodes she isolated in her PhD research and its endosymbiotic bacteria. The analysis will further increase her knowledge and understanding of the molecular genetics and biochemical mechanisms underlying the dynamics associated with the insect-killing nematodes bacteria-insect host complex.
Her research further aims to investigate nematode product formulation strategies that will be applied to control insect pests and ultimately reduce the use of synthetic chemical pesticides in agriculture.
Lephoto’s love for agriculture can be attributed to her parents encouraging her from a young age to establish a vegetable garden at their Meadowlands home, which inspired her to produce food for the family.
As passionate as Lephoto is about agriculture and research, she has not forgotten her roots and the circumstances that she had to overcome to be where she is today.
She is committed to youth development. In addition to her research work, she mentors young people through tutoring high school pupils and giving motivational talks at an organisation called GoMaths. For her contribution to the community, she was selected as one of the 100 brightest young minds in SA.
“On Saturdays and during school holidays we work with high school pupils teaching mathematics, science and additional subjects such as life sciences, English and geography. We teach in several communities in Soweto and Tsakane, Ivory Park, Tembisa and Katlehong to make sure we make a difference in someone’s life,” says Lephoto.
She explains that when she won the SAWiSA accolade she took it with to share it with the students she was tutoring.
“You should have seen their excitement; to know that their own tutor had won a national award really meant a lot to them. It also meant a lot to me, as I have always relied on the power of imagination in both my learning and in the tutoring of young students.”
Lephoto’s vision is to change the world, so she also founded a project called “Yes We Are Moving” where she hosts aerobics marathons collecting clothes, food parcels and books to donate to several orphanages and university students. She is also the founder of Tii-moves, a wellness and fitness project in which she offers nutritional advice, physical training and mentorship to youths about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers and opportunities in STEM.
These initiatives were motivated by her passion for science engagement and empowering people who don’t have access to scientific journals and laboratories to be impacted by her knowledge in science.
Lephoto’s love for scientific research has made her a force to be reckoned with both in the laboratory and in the community — there’s no doubt that her research will one day contribute to changing the world as her tutoring and mentoring is already changing the lives of young township pupils in the world.
WINNING THE AWARD SERVES AS INSPIRATION FOR MANY OTHER YOUNG WOMEN TO REACH FOR THEIR DREAMS AND REALISE THE POWER OF THEIR POTENTIAL IN ADDITION TO HER RESEARCH WORK, SHE MENTORS YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH TUTORING HIGH SCHOOL PUPILS AND GIVING MOTIVATIONAL TALKS