Dr Nhlanhla Mpofu who is a Senior Lecturer and Director Teaching, Learning and Programme Development, has been awarded a Y2 rating as a researcher by the National Research Foundation. South Africa’s researchers are categorised into five categories including the promising young researcher or the Y category. 

This rating is awarded to young researchers (40 years or younger), who have held the doctorate or equivalent qualification for less than five years at the time of application, and who are recognised as having the potential to establish themselves as researchers within a five-year period after evaluation, based on their performance and productivity as researchers during their doctoral studies and/or early postdoctoral careers.

Nhlanhla is also a Fulbright alumni and was recently inducted to the  South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) this year as one of the top 10 young Scholars in South Africa.

Nhlanhla also holds a NRF Thuthuka Grant (Rating) which she was awarded for 2018-2020 (See other SPU Thuthuka grants). In collaboration with Dr Lizette de Jager from University of Pretoria, Prof Mncedisi Maphalala from the University of Zululand and Prof Kathy Fox from the University of North Carolina (USA), Nhlanhla is the principal investigator in a study that seeks to understand how non-English language speakers in English medium high schools develop competence in their content knowledge vocabulary during initial teacher training and in the actual teaching practice. 

Visit one of South Africa’s leading think publications, The Conversation, to read Nhlanhla’s articles on teaching in Zimbabwe, and student teachers and distance learning at http://bit.ly/2zJbW22. Also visit her website for more on her work https://nhlanhlampofu.com