{"id":86489,"date":"2025-12-02T16:09:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T14:09:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/?p=86489"},"modified":"2025-12-03T14:35:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T12:35:04","slug":"meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet SPU\u2019s Postdoctoral Fellows up\u00a0close"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"86489\" class=\"elementor elementor-86489\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3934de e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"c3934de\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-79a2b24 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"79a2b24\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We are pleased to introduce <strong><em>Postdoctoral Fellows Up Close<\/em><\/strong>, a short feature series that brings you closer to the scholars who are shaping SPU\u2019s growing research identity. Postdoctoral Fellows are an essential part of our academic enterprise. Their work strengthens knowledge production, supports postgraduate development and contributes to the University\u2019s mission of generating research that serves society.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This series offers a closer look at the scholars behind the research. Each fellow brings a distinct perspective to their field, reflecting SPU\u2019s commitment to inquiry that is relevant, rigorous and responsive to regional, national and global questions.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among the scholars we introduce today are:<\/p><ul style=\"text-align: justify;\"><li>an economist examining how investment flows influence development and institutional strength<\/li><li>a data scientist advancing artificial intelligence and machine learning applications across education, health, agriculture and environmental systems<\/li><li>a teacher education scholar exploring equity, professional identity and the experiences of new teachers in Southern Africa<\/li><li>a historian and heritage studies researcher whose work examines memory, identity and cultural narratives through archives and visual culture<\/li><\/ul><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Each profile invites you to discover how these scholars are contributing to SPU\u2019s research vision and to the broader academic community. Today we begin by sharing their work as part of our <strong><em>Postdoctoral Fellows Up Close<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0feature.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-afa8b48 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"afa8b48\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6244d74 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"6244d74\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08e1968 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"08e1968\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Darlington-Chizema-200x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-86491\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Darlington-Chizema-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Darlington-Chizema-682x1024.jpg 682w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Darlington-Chizema-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Darlington-Chizema-180x270.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Darlington-Chizema.jpg 853w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ea37628 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ea37628\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Dr Darlington Chizema<\/strong>, an economist and researcher in the Department of Accounting and Economics, under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/faculty-of-economic-and-management-sciences-home\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences<\/span><\/a> explores how Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fuels economic development across Africa and Asia, particularly by raising productivity and strengthening institutions. His research studies both the drivers and impacts of FDI with a strong interest in how governance, ease of doing business, and human capital interact with investment to support sustainable growth. Dr Chizema argues that \u201cmany developing economies face capital shortages, weak institutional frameworks, and low productivity. Well directed FDI, when supported by robust institutions, has the potential to close investment gaps, facilitate technology transfer, and drive structural transformation.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2bbb9e7 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2bbb9e7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bf0649a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"bf0649a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3eeb5f6 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3eeb5f6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the field of Data Science, Dr Julius Olaniyan, under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/cads\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Center for Applied Data Science<\/span><\/a>, in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/faculty-of-natural-and-applied-sciences-home\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences<\/span><\/a>, conducts work that spans advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning applications across education, healthcare, agriculture, cybersecurity, and environmental systems. His research includes AI-driven adaptive learning models, neuro biophysical and graph based deep learning for medical diagnosis, automated assessment systems, generative data augmentation, and intelligent forecasting frameworks. He has developed multiple prototype AI systems and contributes to interdisciplinary, simulation driven research aimed at addressing complex societal challenges. Dr Olaniyan is also committed to academic mentorship, teaching key concepts in deep learning, artificial neural networks, and data science.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7e4529e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"7e4529e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-114680a elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget-tablet__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"114680a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"235\" height=\"218\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Julius-Olaniyan.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-86493\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2623364 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2623364\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ec8e9eb e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ec8e9eb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f0f57e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"3f0f57e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Nyarayi-Chinyama-200x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-86494\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Nyarayi-Chinyama-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Nyarayi-Chinyama-682x1024.jpg 682w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Nyarayi-Chinyama-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Nyarayi-Chinyama-180x270.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Nyarayi-Chinyama.jpg 853w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a47f3ae elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a47f3ae\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Teacher Education development in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/faculty-of-education-home\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Faculty of Education<\/span><\/a> is enriched by<strong> Dr Nyarayi Chinyama<\/strong>, a scholar in Education and Sociology with a strong research focus on social justice, teacher professional development, well being and higher education transformation. Dr Chinyama holds a PhD in Education from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ufh.ac.za\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">University of Fort Hare<\/span><\/a> and has an extensive background in teaching, curriculum studies and educational policy analysis. Her academic work critically engages with issues surrounding beginner teacher preparedness, mentorship, inclusive education and the professional socialisation of newly qualified teachers, particularly within the Southern African context. Her scholarship is grounded in critical and interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks, drawing from sociology, education and social policy to interrogate issues of equity, belonging and institutional support. Passionate about transformative education and social change, she continues to publish and develop research that bridges academic theory with lived realities in Southern Africa and beyond accredited journals.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-baacd02 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"baacd02\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-00a3f65 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"00a3f65\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d8bb74 elementor-widget-tablet__width-initial elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1d8bb74\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Dr Domonique-Marie Verkerk <\/strong>currently serving under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/faculty-of-humanities-home\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Faculty of Humanities<\/span><\/a>, brings a wealth of more than 14 years experience in the fields of History, Heritage Studies and Archaeology, specialising in the South African War, concentration camps, Afrikaner nationalism and cultural identity. Her interdisciplinary work integrates history, archaeology, museology and Afrikaans film studies to examine how visual culture and heritage shape narratives of nationhood, drawing on extensive practical experience in curation and curriculum development. Dr Verkerk has published numerous articles and a book chapter in peer reviewed edited volumes and journals and is an active member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/hgsa.co.za\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Historical Association of South Africa (HASA)<\/span><\/a> and is committed to advancing decolonial perspectives in history, heritage and pedagogy.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9d105f5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"9d105f5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-15e419f elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget-tablet__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"15e419f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Domonique-Marie-Verkerk-200x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-86498\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Domonique-Marie-Verkerk-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Domonique-Marie-Verkerk-682x1024.jpg 682w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Domonique-Marie-Verkerk-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Domonique-Marie-Verkerk-180x270.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Dr-Domonique-Marie-Verkerk.jpg 853w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4d08f1 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a4d08f1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2628796 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2628796\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Together, these Postdoctoral Fellows represent the depth, diversity, and growing impact of research at SPU. Their work enriches our academic environment, strengthens community engagement, and contributes to national and global conversations in their respective fields. As the University continues to expand its research footprint, we remain committed to supporting emerging scholars whose work shapes communities, informs policy, and drives innovation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are pleased to introduce Postdoctoral Fellows Up Close, a short feature series that brings you closer to the scholars who are shaping SPU\u2019s growing research identity. Postdoctoral Fellows are an essential part of our academic enterprise. Their work strengthens <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/\" class=\"read-more\">Read More &#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":86550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"coauthors":[189],"class_list":["post-86489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Meet SPU\u2019s Postdoctoral Fellows up\u00a0close - Sol Plaatje University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We are pleased to introduce Postdoctoral Fellows Up Close, a short feature series that brings you closer to the scholars who are shaping SPU&#039;s...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet SPU\u2019s Postdoctoral Fellows up\u00a0close - Sol Plaatje University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We are pleased to introduce Postdoctoral Fellows Up Close, a short feature series that brings you closer to the scholars who are shaping SPU&#039;s...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sol Plaatje University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/solplaatjeuniv\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-02T14:09:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-03T12:35:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-Postdoctoral-Research-Fellows-Campaign-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Vuyiswa Mpata\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@consultant01\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solplaatje\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Vuyiswa Mpata\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Vuyiswa Mpata\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9133e51440488608aadcb485eb46e7ff\"},\"headline\":\"Meet SPU\u2019s Postdoctoral Fellows up\u00a0close\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-02T14:09:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-03T12:35:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":754,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/2025-Postdoctoral-Research-Fellows-Campaign-2.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Research\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/\",\"name\":\"Meet SPU\u2019s Postdoctoral Fellows up\u00a0close - Sol Plaatje University\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/2025-Postdoctoral-Research-Fellows-Campaign-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-02T14:09:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-03T12:35:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9133e51440488608aadcb485eb46e7ff\"},\"description\":\"We are pleased to introduce Postdoctoral Fellows Up Close, a short feature series that brings you closer to the scholars who are shaping SPU's...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/2025-Postdoctoral-Research-Fellows-Campaign-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/2025-Postdoctoral-Research-Fellows-Campaign-2.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":1280},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/index.php\\\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Meet SPU\u2019s Postdoctoral Fellows up\u00a0close\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/\",\"name\":\"Sol Plaatje University\",\"description\":\"Light from Africa\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spu.ac.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9133e51440488608aadcb485eb46e7ff\",\"name\":\"Vuyiswa Mpata\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6b47e8effbfa365b08e2bd8fa3276050e4cbb6241a00294554823f759973bb02?s=96&d=mm&r=ga475a68a5234ee7f89be4313ad98b8a4\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6b47e8effbfa365b08e2bd8fa3276050e4cbb6241a00294554823f759973bb02?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6b47e8effbfa365b08e2bd8fa3276050e4cbb6241a00294554823f759973bb02?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Vuyiswa Mpata\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/consultant01\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Meet SPU\u2019s Postdoctoral Fellows up\u00a0close - Sol Plaatje University","description":"We are pleased to introduce Postdoctoral Fellows Up Close, a short feature series that brings you closer to the scholars who are shaping SPU's...","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Meet SPU\u2019s Postdoctoral Fellows up\u00a0close - Sol Plaatje University","og_description":"We are pleased to introduce Postdoctoral Fellows Up Close, a short feature series that brings you closer to the scholars who are shaping SPU's...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/","og_site_name":"Sol Plaatje University","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/solplaatjeuniv","article_published_time":"2025-12-02T14:09:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-03T12:35:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":1280,"url":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-Postdoctoral-Research-Fellows-Campaign-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Vuyiswa Mpata","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@consultant01","twitter_site":"@solplaatje","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Vuyiswa Mpata","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/"},"author":{"name":"Vuyiswa Mpata","@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9133e51440488608aadcb485eb46e7ff"},"headline":"Meet SPU\u2019s Postdoctoral Fellows up\u00a0close","datePublished":"2025-12-02T14:09:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-03T12:35:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/"},"wordCount":754,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-Postdoctoral-Research-Fellows-Campaign-2.jpg","articleSection":["Research"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/","url":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/","name":"Meet SPU\u2019s Postdoctoral Fellows up\u00a0close - Sol Plaatje University","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-Postdoctoral-Research-Fellows-Campaign-2.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-02T14:09:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-03T12:35:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9133e51440488608aadcb485eb46e7ff"},"description":"We are pleased to introduce Postdoctoral Fellows Up Close, a short feature series that brings you closer to the scholars who are shaping SPU's...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-Postdoctoral-Research-Fellows-Campaign-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-Postdoctoral-Research-Fellows-Campaign-2.jpg","width":1280,"height":1280},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/meet-spus-postdoctoral-fellows-up-close\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Meet SPU\u2019s Postdoctoral Fellows up\u00a0close"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/","name":"Sol Plaatje University","description":"Light from Africa","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9133e51440488608aadcb485eb46e7ff","name":"Vuyiswa Mpata","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b47e8effbfa365b08e2bd8fa3276050e4cbb6241a00294554823f759973bb02?s=96&d=mm&r=ga475a68a5234ee7f89be4313ad98b8a4","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b47e8effbfa365b08e2bd8fa3276050e4cbb6241a00294554823f759973bb02?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b47e8effbfa365b08e2bd8fa3276050e4cbb6241a00294554823f759973bb02?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Vuyiswa Mpata"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/consultant01"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86489"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86569,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86489\/revisions\/86569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86489"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=86489"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=86489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}