UCT celebrates nine ‘Science Oscars’ finalists

The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) vice-chancellor, Professor Mosa Moshabela, has congratulated nine UCT academics and research teams who were named among a list of finalists in the 2025/2026 National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)-South32 Awards.  

Widely regarded as South Africa’s “Science Oscars”, the NSTF-South32 Awards recognise excellence in science, engineering, technology and innovation. 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.

Professor Moshabela said 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 … is certainly worth celebrating.” 

“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,” Moshabela said in a communication to the university community. 

The finalists are:

• 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: Health aging category. The selection recognises 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 of the Allergy and Immunology Unit at the Lung Institute, is a finalist in the TW Kambule-NSTF Researcher Award category. The selection recognises his contribution to transforming diagnosis and care of immune-mediated disease in Africa through policy-changing, Africa-relevant allergy science.

• Associate Professor Laura Heathfield, the head of the Biomedical Forensic Science Unit, is a finalist in the TW Kambule-NSTF Emerging Researcher Award category. The selection recognises her work in uncovering hidden genetic causes of unexplained infant deaths and the development of Africa’s first molecular autopsy assay to give families answers to help prevent future loss.

• Associate Professor Moses Basitere, 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 is a senior lecturer in the Department of Human Biology. He is a finalist in the TW Kambule-NSTF Researcher Award. The selection recognises 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 and postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Astronomy, is a finalist in the Research Software category. The selection recognises his efforts to develop 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 of 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 award categories include the TW Kambule-NSTF Researcher Award; Management Award; and Engineering Research Capacity Development Award.

• Associate Professor Shakti Pillay from the Department of Neonatology in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health is a finalist in the Research Software category. The selection recognises her efforts in 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. The selection recognises her work 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 viable.

In his congratulatory message, Moshabela said the university community is proud of the group of academics and research teams, adding that their work continues to push the boundaries of knowledge. He said being named among the list of finalists also speaks volumes of their work and that of UCT.

The vice-chancellor added that UCT is also proud that the 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, the university is 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.

“Their recognition among the finalists 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,” he said.