UP Research Review
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a leading research university in Africa THEMES 2 Foreword 11 Developmentand 103 Awards and 4 Introductory message the economy achievements 6 Research overview 27 Humanrights 105 A-rated scientists 43 Heritageandsociety 108 Newdevelopments 57 Health 75 Naturalenvironments 89 Plantproduction and food security Frontcover:Thousandsofgoldbeadsthatsymbolisedroyalty,wealthandpowerwererecovered An e-version of this Review, and a full listing of the University’s research fromthreeburialsonMapungubweHill(AD1220−AD1290).Thesesacredobjectsofthepast publications in 2016, are available with links and access to listed publications at: servedasadornmentandritual,andprobablyalsosignifiedeconomic,politicalandsocialstatus, andtodayarereveredandconservedasnationaltreasures.Thispage:Mapungubwerecurvedjar http://www.up.ac.za/research-innovation (265mmx360mm),burnishedearthenware,MapungubweNationalHeritageCollection,No.N/219. UP ResearchReview2016 | 1 TheUniversityofPretoriapridesitselfonbeingaresearchleaderin Africa,andeachyeartheinnovativeworkofsomeofouremerging andleadresearchersareshowcasedinaResearchReview. Aligned with areas of research strength where the University has distinguished itself, rights amply illustrates in several texts the interaction between research, publishing the focus in 2016 continued to be on ‘research that matters’ in thematic areas that andadvocacy,andthewidecollaborationwithstrategicpartners,inordertoaffectthe demonstrate our commitment to engage with societal issues and, by so doing, to changeenvisaged;thethemealsodemonstratestherecognitionUPresearchershave contributetoabetterfuture.TheUniversity’sareasofstrategicfocusarefeaturedin receivedinternationally.Theme3—Heritageandsocietytakesasapointofdeparture thisReview,withitstheme-basedstructurealignedwiththeUnitedNationsSustainable ancienttextsandarichculturalheritage,giventheantiquityofhumanoccupationin DevelopmentGoals(SDGs),Agenda2030,theAfricanUnion’sAgenda2063–theAfrica southern Africa; and as another, the contemporary risks, inequalities and ‘forgotten WeWant,andOurFuture–MakeItWorkandSouthAfrica’sNationalDevelopmentPlan people’thatprovideinsightintotheroleofscienceandresearch,andwhatstillremains FOREWORD 2030.Whethertheframeworksareglobal,regionalornationalinscope,themessageis to be challenged and addressed. Theme 4—Health covers both human and animal clear:UPinvestigates,discoversandinnovatesthroughresearchthatmatters. healthwithacross-cuttingfocusonissuescentraltowellbeing,mostoftenaddressed incollaborationwithlocal,regionaland/orinternationalpartners;frommalariacontrol There is growing recognition in the science community that universities as public and eradication, to re-engineering primary health care, to wildlife reproduction. institutionsshouldcontributetothegrowth,developmentandwellbeingofsocietiesand Theme 5—Naturalenvironmentsunderscoresthecentralityofscienceininformingour thatnewwaysofdoingsciencetoeffectivelyaddresscomplexproblemsareneeded: understandingofcriticalenvironmentalissues,withtextsdemonstratingcontemporary from deliberately taking as point of departure the problem itself to frame different approaches and research tools, from microbial studies to mathematical modelling. dimensionstotheinvestigation,towhathasmorerecentlycometobereferredtoas Theme6—Plantproductionandfoodsecurityconcludesthethematicfocusonresearch convergencesciencethatcutsacrossdisciplinaryboundariesandmakespossibleanew relevanceatUP,andisframedbyecologicaltransformationsbroughtaboutbyclimate synthesisofmethods,theoriesandapproaches. change,sustainingwoodyecosystemsandplantedforests,andthecriticalimportance ofglobalstrategiestomonitorpestandpathogenmovementandtomountappropriate SixthemesstructurethisReview,eachframingourfocusonresearchinandforAfrica. outbreak responses. Again, wide-ranging partnerships underscore the importance of Whiletextsforegroundmanyproblemsandchallenges,therearestrongsignsofhope team(andtheme)scienceinsustainingexcellenceinresearch. andpossibilitiesforchange:beitthroughresearchfindings,orinsubstantivepolicies andguidelines,orthroughthevisiblemonitoringofaccountability.Clearlymanifestand A key strategy in 2016 was for the University to increase its high impact research in woventhrougheachthemeistheroleandcontributionofyoungscientists,andeach knowledge fields of relevance to developing regions and Africa, in particular. The theme, especially the theme on Human rights, foregrounds women and children as examplescoveredinthisreviewprovideampleevidencethatthisstrategicfocuswas centraltosocieties’wellbeingandtooursustainablefutures. successfullyaccomplished. A few examples are chosen to illustrate this sense of hope and renewal through OnbehalfoftheUniversity,Iwishtoexpressourgratitudetoallourresearchpartners, science:Theme1—Developmentandtheeconomyshowsthecentralityofleadership collaboratorsandfunders.Yourgenerosityhasenabledtheresearchthatmatterslocally legitimacyandauthenticityinAfricanresearchonleadership,andinanotherexample, andglobally. thecentralityofnetworksandrelationshipsinresilientorganisations.Theme2—Human Professor Cheryl de la Rey Vice-ChancellorandPrincipal,UniversityofPretoria 2 | UP ResearchReview2016 UP ResearchReview2016 | 3 MESSAGE TheproductionoftheResearchReviewsisalwaysahighlight intheannualresearchcalendaroftheUniversityofPretoria, andtheUPResearchReview2016isnoexception. Our commitment is to pursue research that matters, and to do so in ways that Fundingforresearchincreasedin2016by22%from2015,andtheUniversityobtained underscore quality, impact and excellence. This commitment speaks directly to the state-of-the-artresearchequipmenttothevalueofR14m. University’s long-term vision: to be a leading research-intensive university in Africa, recognisedinternationallyforourquality,relevanceandimpact,andalsofordeveloping ResearchcapacityisfurtherdemonstratedinthenumberofResearchChairsandCentres people,creatingknowledgeandmakingadifferencelocallyandglobally.Theyear2016 of Excellence, and UP’s leading Research Institutes and Centres. In 2016 there was a concludedthefirstfive-yearimplementationcycleoftheUniversity’slong-termstrategic totalof113researchentities:84InstitutesandCentres;29industryandinternationally plan,UP2025,andithasbeenpossibletofollowcleartrendsintheprogresswehave sponsored Research Chairs; and, taken together, 20 DST-NRF South African Research madetowardstheachievementthestrategicgoalsandtargetssetfiveyearsago,andof Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chairs, Centres of Excellence, and Medical Research Council thechallengesthatremain.Acriticalpointofreferencehasbeenthedevelopmentand Units. finaladoption,inSeptember2015,oftheUnitedNationsSustainableDevelopmentGoals (SDGs).Theseventeengoalsframemuchofwhatisnowconsideredtobeanecessary Inasector-wideanalysisofresearchperformancein2015,undertakenbythenational andoverduecalltoaction,effectivelytoaddressthemajorchallengesthatconfrontour Department of Higher Education and Training in 2016, the University of Pretoria 21stcenturyworld–atglobal,regionalandnationallevels. performedwell:intermsofoverallresearchoutput,itrankedthehighestinSouthAfrica, andalsothehighestwithrespecttotheweightedpercapitaoutput(ofpublications,plus Researchisonemodeofresponsetothechallenges,anduniversitieshaveanimportant master’sanddoctoralgraduates).Whilethissector-wideanalysisisstillpendingfor2016, roletoplayincontributingtotheachievementoftheSDGsinourAfricanregion,and theUniversityanticipatesthatitwillmaintainaleadingpositionwithrespecttoresearch globally. The research showcased in this Review illustrates many ways in which UP output,withauditedinstitutionaldatashowinga14.4%increaseinjournalarticlesalone. actively pursues research that has an impact on development, wellbeing and social Thisistestamenttothesuccessofseveralinitiativesthathavebeenimplementedto INTRODUCTORY justice. There are many more examples, but each year we deliberately attempt to supportresearchattheUniversity. showcasenewexamples,anddifferentdimensionstooldnarratives,ofresearchatUP. TheVice-ChancellorandPrincipal’sForewordoutlinesthethemesthatclusterthecontent RegionalandinternationalpartnershipsattheUniversityaredriventhroughstrategic presented here: development and the economy, human rights, heritage and society, institutional and faculty agreements, and, importantly, through expanded research health,naturalenvironments,andplantproductionandfoodsecurity–eachemphasising networks, as are reflected in the number of co-authored papers with international theimportanceofsustainabledevelopment.Mytaskistoprovide,inoverview,abrief researchers,aswellasintheincreasedintakeofinternationalpostgraduatestudentsand analysisofresearchachievementsin2016toprovideabroadercontextualbackground postdoctoralfellows.However,partnershipsaremorethanpublications.Asmanyofthe tothecontentofthisReview. researchprofilespresentedinthisReviewillustrate,itisalsoaboutresearchinforming policy, and about active partnerships in the implementation of policies towards the At the core of the University’s research strength are our staff and young, emerging achievementofsustainabledevelopmentthatleavesnoonebehind. scientists,andaresearchenvironmentthatmakesitpossibleforresearcherstothrive. In2016,63.4%ofouracademicstaffhelddoctoraldegrees,thenumberofpostdoctoral Ihopethattheprogressmade,andtherelevanceandimpactoftheexcellentresearch fellows recruited to become part of UP’s research community stood at 237, and beingdoneattheUniversityofPretoria,areevidenttoreaders.Iwouldliketoextendmy postgraduatestudentsasapercentageofoverallenrolmentwas37%.Therehasbeen sinceregratitudetothosewhoaredoingtheresearch,andtoallwhohavecontributed