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Two UFS academics ranked top 50 in Social Sciences and Humanities in SA

06 July 2023 | Story Gerda-Marié van Rooyen | Photo Supplied

Prof Ivan Turok and Prof Melanie Walker.

Two of the University of the Free State (UFS) SARChI Research Chairs have been included in the 2nd edition of Research.com ranking of the best scholars in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Prof Melanie Walker from the UFS Higher Education and Human Development research group and SARChI Chair: Higher Education and Human Development, and Prof Ivan Turok, from the South African National Research Foundation, who hold the Research Chair in Strengthening Urban Economies: People, Place, Production and Policy, are ranked 41^st (ranked 5 286 in the world) and 20^th(2 825) in South Africa respectively.

According to the Research.com website, the best scientists ranking is a credible list of leading scientists from the field of Social Sciences and Humanities, established by means of a meticulous analysis of 166 880 scholars determined from multiple bibliometric data sources. For this discipline, as many as 15 317 researchers were analysed and their position in the ranking is based on a researcher’s D-index (Discipline H-index), which only includes papers and citation values for an examined discipline.

The success of a community

As a SARChI Chair in Strengthening Urban Economies: People, Place, Production, and Policy, Prof Turok explores how cities can drive economic growth and foster inclusive development in South Africa. His research analyses the factors contributing to the success of certain cities over others and identifies policies and practices that can enhance conditions for citizens and communities

He says this “pleasant surprise” (being ranked 20^th in South Africa in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities) follows years of scientific work and writing.

“Research has also been a labour of love and rewarding in itself. It has fuelled my natural curiosity for learning more about the world, and I have had opportunities to visit places and meet people I would never have had otherwise,” says Prof Turok.

What it takes to be a researcher

Although one can learn the required skills and capabilities to be a good researcher, Prof Turok says having a natural yearning for knowledge and an intrinsic curiosity about the real world is helpful to have a long research career. “Careful mentoring and sound teachers are vital to become an effective researcher.”

He firmly believes research should be relevant to the society in which it is located – especially in a developing country like South Africa.

He continues by saying: “It should shed light on and help to understand the major problems and opportunities facing society, using the tools and techniques available to that particular discipline.” This honoured researcher says researchers should inform societies using simple terms and engage in discussions on matters it faces.

“Researchers should be outward-looking and interact constructively with policy-makers and practitioners to improve public policy while maintaining a healthy dose of scepticism about the intentions of the political elite and other powerful interests.”

When analysing the reasons behind varying levels of economic growth and inclusive development among cities, it is crucial to consider a diverse range of indicators. “Relying solely on a few narrow indicators can be misleading," says Prof Turok.

Indicators to take into consideration include: The economic productivity of the city (output per person) and the average income level, the level of employment in relation to the working-age population, which enables individuals to support themselves and their families financially, and the level of investment, which determines future growth, employment, and income levels.

The value of research

Prof Turok suggests that the government could play a significant role in strengthening urban economies and reducing inequalities by devolving more powers and resources to metropolitan municipalities as the effective coordination of housing and transportation investments is crucial for achieving economic growth and social inclusion in cities. He also recommends aligning the programmes and investment projects of provincial authorities and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) with those of the metropolitan areas.

“Currently, there is a disconnect between the activities of many SOEs and the interests of cities. For example, there is a considerable amount of vacant and underused land in well-located urban areas owned by SOEs, which they refuse to transfer to metros for housing purposes (highlighting the relevance of land reform in cities). Another example is the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), which operate in silos and do not align their training programmes with the needs of employers in cities,” explains Turok.

Being an internationally recognised expert in his field, Prof. Turok is regularly asked to advise esteemed organisations such as the United Nations and the African Development Bank. Prof. Turok, a former finalist for the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021, will serve in this significant role until 2025.

Focusing on Education

Prof Walker, a distinguished scholar in the field of education sciences with an A1 rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF) – which funds SARChI – focuses on the profound impact of apartheid on education and civic life. She concentrates on (higher) education, primarily in the Global South, and addresses the intersecting research and practice challenges of decolonisation, methodology, inequalities, and justice.

This former professor of Higher Education at the University of Nottingham currently holds the esteemed position of UFS Distinguished Professor. She has supervised the production of 23 doctoral theses on higher education and human development since 2016. Additionally, she has delivered numerous keynote speeches worldwide and is an acclaimed author of books and journal articles within her area of expertise.

PHOTO

Left: Prof Ivan Turok, from the South African National Research Foundation, who holds the Research Chair in Strengthening Urban Economies: People, Place, Production and Policy, is ranked 20th (2 825) in South Africa respectively.

Right: Prof Melanie Walker, SARChI Chair: Higher Education and Human Development, is ranked 41st (ranked 5 286 in the world) in the 2nd edition of Research.com ranking of the best scholars in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities.

News Archive

“My time at the UFS was the golden gem of my career”

2016-07-04

Description: Zig Gibson Tags: Zig Gibson

Prof Alan St Clair Gibson
Photo: Oteng Mpete

“My time at the University of the Free State (UFS) was the golden gem of my career. I have worked at medical schools or biomedical research centres in the United Kingdom, United States and at some of the top medical schools in South Africa, but working at the UFS was one of the highlights of my career,” says Prof Alan St Clair Gibson, Head of the UFS School of Medicine.

After spending just over two years at the UFS, Prof St Clair Gibson resigned from the institution in June 2016 and will take up the position of Dean: Health and Human Performance Sciences at the Waikato University in New Zealand in mid-July, where he will assist to establish a new faculty for all the health-science disciplines. “It was a privilege to work at the UFS. I come from a strong research background and wanted to grow research at the university, which I achieved. I came to the UFS because of the Academic and Human Projects and am proud of what has been achieved at the School of Medicine during the time I was here,” he said.

Prof St Clair Gibson highlighted some of these achievements, including the development of a management infrastructure across the disciplines of the school. “The establishment of an executive management committee for the school, as well as research champions in departments, highlighted the importance of proper governance and strategic management. By developing data dashboards, my management team and I could develop an understanding of research income and productivity, how the school works, what the role of teaching and learning is, and how the school could benefit in terms of third-stream income from the many contracts obtained by its academic staff. As a result, contracts and the financial management model of the school have also been reconfigured to the benefit of the university so that the institution and school can benefit from it,” he said.

His strong belief in an open-door policy has made staff feel part of the environment and it has created an atmosphere of equality and inclusivity. He believes in staff development and has, for instance, established leadership and management courses for heads of departments. Another factor to be proud of is the increase in the number of young researchers who recently joined the school, such as Prof Ross Tucker, who is one of the foremost sport scientists in the country. “It is a fact that staff retire or resign in all schools and departments of any university. It is also true that these departures offer opportunities to bring new academic and professional staff into the UFS. In fact, for the first time virtually every department in the School of Medicine now has a full-time Head of Department and 46 new staff were appointed since January 2015,” said Prof St Clair Gibson.

“I am especially proud of contributing, together with the senior leadership of the UFS, to stabilise the relationship with the Free State Department of Health (DoH). With the assistance of these parties, as well as my executive management team, we could find a better way of working together to the benefit of the school and the province.’’

Transforming the student profile to be representative of the country’s demographics is another milestone Prof St Clair Gibson will remember. “The intake of black and white students is of such a nature that we now have a much more balanced ratio of black and white undergraduate students than before.”

“I wanted to stay longer to see the effect of all the changes I made at the school, but the deanship is an offer I cannot refuse. I would have liked to see a steadier increase in the number of permanent clinical staff and have worked hard with both the UFS management and the DoH to try and achieve that; but more work needs to be done.”

I have worked with a number of fantastic staff members at the school, who are determined to do good in a challenging environment. I am amazed at the energy of the university leadership and how the Human and Academic Projects are executed. My wish for the university is to maintain and grow its standards and for the School of Medicine to maintain its reputation as one of the best schools in the country. I will always be a proud alumnus of the UFS,” he said.

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