Six published articles and counting for PhD graduate
UNIVERSITY of Zululand (UNIZULU) PhD graduate Nkosinathi Dlamini is steadily carving his path as a prolific researcher, with an impressive record of six published articles and three revised manuscripts under review in accredited international journals within a space of two years.
Dr Dlamini completed his PhD under the supervision of the legendary Prof Viswanadha Pullabhotla and Prof Albertus Kotze Basson with a thesis entitled “A comparative study between Fe@Cu core-shell nanoparticles with iron and copper nanoparticles synthesized using a bioflocculant: characterization, industrial application and biosafety”.
The objective of the study included, among other things, the synthesis of single and bi-metallic nanoparticles using an environmental friendly approach. Furthermore, it unpacked the application (the use) of these nanoparticles in various nanotechnology fields such as wastewater treatment, antimicrobial, cytotoxicity and dye removal.
Through this research, Dr Dlamini was able to establish that nanoparticles can be successfully synthesised using a pure bioflocculant and the findings
THE University of Zululand’s (UNIZULU) Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law (FCAL), in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the University of Glasgow (UoG), has been awarded a grant set to increase the percentage of academics with PhD qualifications in South African universities.
The grant has been awarded as part of the United Kingdom- South Africa University Staff Doctoral Programme, the second phase of the University Staff Doctoral Programme (USDP) which was launched by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in July 2018.
The USDP initiative falls under DHET’s broader University Capacity Development Programme which focuses on student development, staff development and programme or curriculum development. Among the objectives of the USDP is promoting collaborations that seek to increase the number of academics with PhDs in South African institutions of showed that the nanoparticles have remarkable properties, which means they can be used in wastewater treatment to remove pollutants. They can also be used as antimicrobial agents as they indicated that are safe to use when cytotoxicity was investigated.
Reminiscing, Dr Dlamini acknowledged that his achievements in the past two years were a result of the contributions higher education (including enhancing the infrastructure and resources for PhD and master’s supervision). Phase 2 of the USDP is intended to increase the number of permanent academic and professional staff at South African universities with doctoral degrees while also building supervisory capacity in postgraduate programmes.
To support this drive, the British Council partnered with DHET and issued a call in 2019 for a collaboration development grant.
Prof Lorraine Greyling, FCAL Dean and one of the UNIZULU supervisors of the USDP, explained: “In 2019, a HEI (higher education institutions) consortia collaboration grant application with of either family, friends or colleagues. He expressed his utmost gratitude to Prof Basson and Prof Pullabhotla for seeing to it that his PhD study was a success. In addition, he thanked the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for its financial support.
On his experience with working with Dr Dlamini Prof Pullabhotla said: “Supervisors can offer assistance more effectively
University of Johannesburg, University of Zululand as partner institution 1 and Glasgow University as partner institution 2 was submitted… The project (collaboration grant) is to support activities for the development of joint partnership programmes in support of doctoral training for academics at South African public higher education institutions. The grant was awarded in December 2019 and is active effectively from 2020.”
Following a rigorous selection process, ten candidates who are full-time academics in six South African universities were selected to participate in this programme. Of the ten candidates, three are from UNIZULU, three from Tshwane University of Technology, while the University of Venda, University of Mpumalanga and Durban University of Technology are each represented by single candidates.
The doctoral programme officially commenced in June with candidates coming together to consider the foundations of PhD study. The model of supervision that has been established offers an opportunity for staff from the three when student-supervisor relationships exist and together we have developed a good working relationship which began when Dlamini was in master’s, which lead to a successful master’s project. Through his devotion and hardworking nature, he received his MSc in one year and was very close to attaining a distinction and this achievement for a student is colossal. This attainment in his career has brought inspiration for him to pursue his higher studies.”
In his congratulatory message Prof Basson said he saw Dr Dlamin’s potential when he was a BSc Honours student in Microbiology. His motivation and interest in research is what struck the academic, prompting him to take the student under his supervision. “I quickly realised that he wants to advance deeper into research and that is where I asked Prof Pullabhotla to get involved and guide Nathi in nanotechnology. Nathi finished his MSc in one year (missing a distinction by 2%) and immediately enrolled for PhD and finished this also in the record time of two years with numerous publications in accredited journals,” Prof Basson said.
Born and bred in KwaShoba area in Pongola, Dr Dlamini is the first to obtain a PhD in his family. He said obtaining his PhD required setting career goals and working hard in order to reach them. institutions to jointly supervise a team of doctoral candidates. Based on collaborative principles the model moves away from “supervisor as expert” and moves towards a shared, collaborative approach to the studies.
Moreover, the programme is extending the collaborative approach to developing our future professors at South African institutions where both experienced and novice supervisors at partner institutions work in supervisory teams to guide the candidates. The UNIZULU supervisory team involves Prof Greyling and Dr Makhosazana Vezi-Magigaba and Dr Nokukhanya Jili, while Prof Irrshad Kaseeram serves as a coordinator.
For the duration of their study, the doctoral candidates will attend a series of Learning Academies. These will allow the participants to hone and develop their research skills while meeting academics from across participating universities. The academies will also offer an important space for the candidates to engage in peer support during what can be a lonely journey of study.