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12 June 2019 | Story Zama Feni | Photo Charl Devenish
Annatjie Bouwer
Annatjie Bouwer who is a Research Officer in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health.

The University of the Free State’s (UFS) Prof Hussein Solomon scooped a prestigious Best Published Book award for his critical analysis on the nature of environments, challenges, and opportunities facing the African continent in his book.

Titled African Security in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges and Opportunities, UFS Vice-Rector: Research, Innovation, and Internationalisation, Prof Corli Witthuhn, hailed the book as “An ambitious and in-depth study covering several regions, and with due regard for changing contexts and relevant historical legacies. This analysis is perspicacious, conceptually sophisticated, and based on a solid range of sources.”

UFS awards to stimulate staff creativity

Prof Solomon is a Senior Professor in the Department of Political Studies and Governance. The annual UFS 2018 Book Prize and Research Support Awards is aimed at recognising outstanding contributions by staff members in these focus areas.
Prof Witthuhn congratulated the winners and all the participants who spent time on their submitted work.

The other two entries in the Best Published Book category were Prof Philippe Burger, the Head of the Department of Economics and Finance, for his book titled, Getting it Right: A new economy for South Africa.

The other published book entry was that of Prof Jacobus Naudé, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Hebrew in the Faculty of the Humanities, titled, A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar.

Winning author’s analysis impressive

Prof Witthuhn said the author of the winning book employed a human security approach which not only examined and analysed these challenges, but also assessed the effectiveness of solutions and progress in addressing these challenges.

“This approach is critical to understanding the true meaning and context of security in Africa, by asking questions such as: security for whom and security for what?”

Bouwer comes top in research support category

Ms Annatjie Bouwer, a Research Officer in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences, emerged victorious among the nine entrants from various faculties. 

Her award was for the support she offered to the broad community of researchers within the Faculty of Health Sciences.



News Archive

Young academic receives BRICS research funding
2017-04-13

Description: Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli  Tags: Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli

Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli and Dr Victor Okorie
from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning
at the University of the Free State.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

“It means a lot to me, as I am a young academic embarking on my postdoctoral research project. To be able to lead a team of researchers from various research institutions in South Africa is humbling.” This is what Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli had to say on being awarded a research grant by the South African BRICS Think Tank.

The think tank, in collaboration with the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS), awarded the lecturer in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of the Free State (UFS) R150 000. She will spearhead a research project between BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) universities. “They have awarded me a three-month grant to facilitate a process of combining various research projects under the BRICS Academic Cluster,” Dr Mphambukeli said.

Platform provides collaboration

“The academic cluster provides a platform for researchers and academics to engage in ongoing collaboration,” she said. The grant will enable her and her research partner, Dr Victor Okorie, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the UFS, to put together a research proposal to be submitted at the end of May 2017. If successful, her team will conduct a research study across BRICS countries over a period of three years. It will be done in collaboration with various South African universities, who will form a team to collaborate with researchers from BRICS universities.

Great accomplishment for UFS
“The funds we have received are quite a great accomplishment for the UFS and our department,” Dr Okorie said. The UFS has become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to emerging issues in BRICS politics and policies. “Our project looks at the provision of ecosystems, agriculture, and security and the UFS was chosen as the host institution.”

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