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05 October 2023 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Stephen Collet
UFS Research scholars celebrated at the annual research awards
The recipients of the various awards presented at the annual UFS Research Awards.

The University of the Free State (UFS) recently hosted its annual Research Awards function at the Wynand Mouton Theatre on the Bloemfontein campus. Present at this event on 26 September 2023 were Prof Francis Petersen, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UFS, Prof Crain Soudien, a globally renowned academic and the President of the Cornerstone Institute, and members of the UFS academic community, among others. 

The awards ceremony

Prof Petersen stated, ‘’The purpose of the event is to recognise scholars at the University of the Free State who are conducting outstanding research in their respective fields of expertise.’’ Certificates were presented to researchers in various categories, including National Research Foundation (NRF) Rated Scholars from categories P to A.  Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation at the UFS, highlighted that there are precisely 217 NRF-rated scholars within the institution. However, some of these scholars had not been acknowledged internally. Hence, the ceremony aimed to celebrate these scholars.

Furthermore, UFS staff members were acknowledged for their research at both national and international levels. Prof Abdon Atangana, named as one of five recipients of the inaugural UNESCO-Al Fozan International Prize for the Promotion of Young Scientists in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), was among these individuals. Future professors of the institution who are part of the Professoriate Programme were also recognised for their outstanding performance in transforming the programme.

The highly anticipated category of the evening was the UFS Book Prize for distinguished scholarship. Prof Reddy explained, ‘’the purpose of the award is to recognise outstanding publications produced by any permanent member of the UFS staff, which are research-based and published in a book. Prof Soudien, who was the guest speaker for the evening and one of the reviewers of the books nominated in this category, indicated that he found the books ‘’illuminating and in many ways challenging of positions I hold and positions that I think that we all ought to be reflecting on in terms of where our world is going’’. 

From the four nominees vying for this award, Prof Helene Strauss was announced as the winner of the 2022 UFS Book Prize for her book entitled, ‘Wayward Feeling: Audio-Visual Culture and Aesthetic Activism in Post-Rainbow South Africa’. Strauss expressed her appreciation, saying, ‘’It is a great honour to be awarded the UFS Book Prize given the high calibre of this year's nominees. It is a lovely morale boost at this time of the year when our motivation can start to flag under the weight of the workload. It inspires me to continue to try to live up to the many examples of outstanding research produced on this campus.’’ The prize includes a certificate of honour as well as a monetary award. 

The significance of the awards ceremony

While the award ceremony aims to recognise and celebrate research outputs by the UFS staff, Prof Petersen emphasises that it is also an acknowledgement of the researchers’ impact. Through their contributions, they elevate the research profile of the institution, thereby bringing the vision of becoming a research-led university, as outlined in Vision 130, closer to reality.  

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Husband and wife make formidable team as they simultaneously receive a PhD
2014-12-12

Stellah Nambalirwa Lubinga and Moses Herbert Lubinga – a married couple – each received their Doctoral degrees at our 2014 Summer Graduation Ceremony. Their PhDs are in Public Administration and Management and Agricultural Economics respectively.

Dr Stellah Lubinga’s thesis is titled ‘The role of democratic rights and obligations of citizens in enhancing public service delivery in Uganda’. Her research makes a valuable contribution to a subject that has been under the spotlight in Uganda for some time. She contends that citizens need to exercise their rights to participate in planning for service delivery. In the absence of their participation, the quality of such services will remain sub-standard. Dr Stellah Lubinga proposes far-reaching interventions for ensuring constructive citizen involvement in the planning processes of service delivery.

Dr Moses Lubinga developed a set of Horticultural indices to be used as proxies in evaluating the impact of climate change on horticultural trade flows to the European Union market. His thesis is titled ‘The impact of climate change and the European Union GSP-Scheme on East Africa’s Horticultural Trade’. His methodological contribution lays the foundation for the future assessment of international trade flows from agriculturally-driven economies in informing policy-makers on the formulation of international trade policy – to the ultimate benefit of the nations in question.

The husband and wife Doctoral graduates originate from Kampala, Uganda, and have lectured and held several other positions in Ugandan and South African educational institutions. They continue to make great contributions in their respective fields of work.

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