Two outstanding emerging researchers at Stellenbosch University (SU) were honoured by the National Research Foundation (NRF) at an award ceremony in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday (27 August 2015).
Dr Nuraan Davids, a lecturer in the Department of Education Policy Studies, and Mr Ethan Newman, a doctoral student in the Department of Botany and Zoology, received the Research Excellence Award for Female Early Career/Emerging Researchers and the Research Excellence Award for Male Next Generation Researchers for 2015 respectively.
These prizes, which are awarded to next generation and early career/emerging researchers for exceptional research performance, form part of the NRF's strategy to increase the number of next generation researchers, to develop emerging researchers, and to grow the number of established researchers.
Davids said she was deeply honoured by the NRF award. "It recognises and celebrates the potential of women in advancing knowledge construction in South Africa. And, to be a part of this, is indeed, very humbling."
Specialising in the philosophy of education, democratic citizenship education, Islamic education, and ethics in education, Davids has more than 30 research publications to her name including two international books and 10 book chapters. She is an Associate Editor of the South African Journal of Higher Education; an Editorial Board Member of the international journal Ethics and Education and serves as a reviewer of the American Educational Research Association, amongst others.
Davids also received numerous awards, amongst others, the Knowledge, Interchange and Collaboration Award (2013); the Mellon Academic Staff Development Award (2014); the NRF Thuthuka Award (2014-2016); and the Rector's Award for General Performance (2014-2015).
"I feel privileged to have won the NRF Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers," said Ethan Newman. He expressed his gratitude to SU and the NRF for their continued support of his postgraduate career. "I feel extremely lucky to have been given these excellent opportunities and without doubt, I would not be a PhD student today if it were not for the support given."
Eyeing a career in the biological sciences, Newman has already presented five conference papers and published four research papers in high impact international journals like Evolution and Annals of Botany. He is such an excellent researcher that in year two of his studies his MSc project was upgraded to a PhD.
Newman has been the recipient of various scholarships, merit bursaries and grants, amongst others, the Ernst and Ethel Eriksen Trust Scholarship (2013-2015); the NRF Innovation Scholarship (2014-2015); National Geographic Young Explorers Grant (2013 & 2014) and the NRF Scarce Skills Scholarship (2012-2013). He has also been accepted as an exchange student at the University of Montpellier in France as part of the Erasmus Mundus exchange programme.
Another SU researcher, Dr Oonsie Biggs, was also honoured at the Awards ceremony. She recently obtained a P-rating from the NRF for her outstanding research on social-ecological regime shifts and their impact on ecosystem services.
- Photo: Dr Nuraan Davids and Mr Ethan Newman
