UCT’s nine finalists in sought-after SA “Science Oscars”

Dear colleagues and students

It gives me great pleasure to share that nine University of Cape Town (UCT) academics and research teams have been named among the finalists in the prestigious 2025/2026 National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)-South32 Awards.

The NSTF-South32 awards, which are widely regarded as South Africa’s “Science Oscars” are the country’s premier recognition platform for excellence in science, engineering, technology and innovation.

Now in their 28th year, the awards honour outstanding contributions by researchers, innovators, science communicators, data specialists and research leaders whose work is shaping South Africa’s future and advancing global knowledge.

This year’s finalists underscore UCT’s unwavering commitment to research excellence, innovation with impact and the pursuit of solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges.

This remarkable achievement by some of its brightest minds – whose work spans health sciences, engineering, sport science, astronomy, biodiversity, data stewardship and social policy – is certainly worth celebrating by the UCT community.

Join me in congratulating the following colleagues:

• Professor Elena Moore, the Head of the Department of Sociology and principal investigator in the Family Caregiving of Older Persons Programme, is a finalist in the Special Annual Theme Award: Healthy Ageing category for her contribution in revealing the hidden burden of family elder care in South Africa and turning real-life, longitudinal evidence into practical policy solutions that promote fairer support and dignified ageing.
• Professor Jonathan Peter, the Head: Allergy and Immunology Unit, Lung Institute, is a finalist in the TW Kambule-NSTF Researcher Award category. He has been recognised for transforming diagnosis and care of immune‑mediated disease in Africa through policy-changing Africa‑relevant allergy science.
• Associate Professor Laura Heathfield, the Head: Biomedical Forensic Science Unit, has been shortlisted in the TW Kambule-NSTF Emerging Researcher Award category for uncovering hidden genetic causes of unexplained infant deaths and the development of Africa’s first molecular autopsy assay to give families answers and help prevent future loss.
• Associate Professor Moses Basitere, the Research Lead: Water Research Group, is a finalist in the NSTF-Water Research Commission Award in recognition of his work in strengthening the foundations of water research through education and capacity development. By linking large-scale undergraduate support in mathematics and physics with a robust postgraduate pathway, he is helping build a sustainable pipeline of future water scientists and engineer.
• Dr Sharief Hendricks, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Human Biology, is a finalist in the TW Kambule-NSTF Researcher Award for his work with key national and international stakeholders in sport on research that drives policy change and practice to enhance athlete welfare and safety.
• Dr Simthembile Dlamini, an Early-Career Researcher/Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Astronomy, is a finalist in the Research Software category for developing a software pipeline that predicts how precisely future cosmic surveys will measure fundamental properties of the universe before observations begin.
• Professor Sudesh Sivarasu, the Director of the Biomedical Engineering Research Centre and the Head: UCT MedTech, has been recognised in multiple categories for his contribution to closing the gap between African clinical need and globally competitive medical device technology. The categories are TW Kambule-NSTF Research Award; Management Award; and Engineering Research Capacity Development Award.
• Associate Professor Shakti Pillay from the Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health is a finalist in the Research Software category for creating research software that strengthens neonatal healthcare and specialist training.
• Thandokazi Maceba, a Data Curation Officer: Digital Scholarship Services in UCT Libraries, has been shortlisted in the Data for Research Award category for advocating for the advancement of open science in Africa by providing trusted, innovative platforms that make UCT’s research and cultural heritage openly accessible, reusable and globally visible.

We are also proud that the UCT MedTech team, led by Professor Sivarasu, is a finalist in two categories – the Innovation Award: Corporate Organisation and the Communication Award. The team has been recognised for developing a medical device research and innovation platform that has produced 18 original medical technologies, 70 patent applications, 30 granted patents, five spin-out companies valued above ZAR 235 million, and over 100 000 devices distributed, with technologies used across 17 countries and 99 researchers trained.

Still on team recognition, the Cube Analysis and Rendering Tool for Astronomy (CARTA) team is a finalist in the new Research Software category. The team is led by UCT’s Professor Rob Simmonds, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and an associate director at the Inter-university Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA). The team has been recognised for its capability to visualise and perform analysis of massive radio astronomy datasets, enabling scientists to explore the universe in unprecedented detail.  

Furthermore, we are pleased to note that there are two finalists affiliated to UCT:

• Associate Professor Andrew Skowno, the Principal Specialist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute and Honorary Associate Professor in Biological Sciences at UCT, is a finalist in the Data for Research category. He has been recognised for creating an innovative web-based platform that brings together extensive biodiversity data with advanced analytics. His work provides a powerful tool for national biodiversity reporting, supporting evidence-based decision-making and more sustainable approaches to environmental management.
• Green5G, a Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-led initiative which has Adjunct Professor Albert Lysko at the helm, is a finalist in the Engineering Research Capacity Development category. This is in recognition of their work in building practical telecommunications capacity through hands-on 5G infrastructure, sharing, dedicated mentorship and national ecosystem leadership.

We are immensely proud of our academics and research teams whose work continues to push the boundaries of knowledge while addressing some of the most urgent challenges facing our society.

Their recognition among the finalists of the NSTF-South32 Awards affirms the quality, relevance and impact of research at UCT. This reflects not only individual excellence but also the collaborative spirit, innovation and public purpose that define our university.

The fact that they have been named among the finalists speaks volumes of their work and that of UCT, as the 2025/2026 NSTF-South32 Awards attracted a record number of nominations – with entries increasing by 39% compared to the preceding year.

Such great news should be acknowledged by all who are associated with UCT. As we celebrate this outstanding representation among the finalists, UCT also recognises the broader role of science, innovation and scholarship in advancing human development, strengthening communities and contributing to a better future for all.

We wish all UCT finalists the best of luck when the winners are announced at the NSTF-South32 Awards gala event on 16 July 2026.

Sincerely

Professor Mosa Moshabela
Vice-Chancellor

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