Prestigious Awards, Honours and Membership Recipients

Recent External Award recipients

National Research Foundation Special Awards

“The National Research Foundation (NRF) is dedicated to fostering knowledge generation and enhancing human capacity development in science, technology, and innovation through various initiatives. These efforts are crucial for advancing the growth, resilience, and societal contributions of the knowledge sector. The NRF has identified four essential pillars—Transformation, Impact, Excellence, and Sustainability (TIES)—that underpin the success of this enterprise. In acknowledgment of outstanding research contributions, the NRF honours individuals or teams who have made extraordinary investments and achievements aligned with these pillars. Recognized areas include knowledge creation, talent cultivation, public engagement with research, and individuals esteemed by their peers as leading international scholars in their respective fields” (NRF Awards 2023 Call Guide, p1).

Recent NRF Special Awards Recipients at Wits:

• Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023: Professor Jill Adler
• Research Excellence Award for Early Career/Emerging Researchers in the Life Sciences category: Dr. Ekene Nweke
• Science Team Award in 2022: Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (Professor Michelle Ramsay and team)
• Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021: Professor Linda Richter

Royal Society of South Africa (RSSA)

Recent RSSA Award Recipients at Wits:

• The John F.W. Herschel Medal 2024 Nomination: Professor Shabir Madhi
• Meiring Naudé Medal 2024 of the Royal Society of South Africa: Isaac Nape
• Meiring Naudé Medal 2023 of the Royal Society of South Africa: Professor Jennifer Fitchett

Recently inducted RSSA Fellows: Professor Jonah Choiniere, Professor Peter Kamerman, and Professor Shabir Madhi

For a full list of RSSA fellows at Wits see: Current Fellows – Royal Society of South Africa (royalsocietysa.org.za) and search for “University of the Witwatersrand”.

Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) 

• Gold medal 2023: Professor Glenda Gray and 16 new ASSAf members inducted in 2023

Human Sciences Research Council-Universities South Africa (USAf) CEO Awards

• HSRC-USAf 2022/23 Emerging Researcher Award under the theme of Social Justice: Dr Hannah Dawson

 Friedel Sellschop Fellows

These awards are made in honour of Professor Friedel Sellschop (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedel_Sellschop). He was the Dean of the Faculty of Science at Wits University from 1979 to 1983 and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) from 1984 to 1996.  He was part of a research group that identified the first neutrino found in nature in one of South Africa’s gold mines.

The University aims to honour and motivate outstanding early-stage researchers through these awards. In line with this goal, the University Research and Innovation Committee (UR&IC) offers a dedicated research grant to eligible researchers. Each award is currently valued at up to R 145,000 per year for three years.

To apply for these awards (Wits academic/joint staff only) please see: Internal Funding (wits.ac.za)

Fellows since 2014: