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EMS research symposium: embracing Vision130

17 May 2024 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Sanchay Kalicharan

EMS research symposium 2024 — Pictured at the research symposium from left to right: Cornelle Scheltema-Van Wyk, Deputy Director at the Library and Information Services at UFS; Prof Lochner Marais, Professor at the Centre for Development Support at UFS; Prof Brownhilder Neneh, Vice-Dean: Research, Engagement and Internationalisation in the EMS faculty at UFS; Prof Nicolene Barkhuizen, Director of the Business School at UFS; Prof Betty Mubangizi, Professor from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal; and Prof Phillipe Burger, Dean of the EMS faculty at UFS.

The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently hosted a transformative research career development symposium on 24 April 2024 and 3 May 2024 at the UFS Business School, on the Bloemfontein Campus. Themed “Building the Next Generation of Researchers and Academics: developing a Body of Work within a Niche Area and Publishing in Quality Journals,” the symposium provided a pivotal platform for scholarly growth and strategic planning.

In his opening address, Prof Philippe Burger, the Dean of the EMS faculty, underscored the significance of the event, stating, “We need to be scholars who can be contacted from outside and be ambitious to be known for something; this symposium would give our staff that opportunity.”

Symposium highlights

Prof Brownhilder Neneh, Vice-Dean of Research, Engagement and Internationalisation in the EMS faculty, elucidated the symposium’s objectives, highlighting its role in fostering career development, equipping lecturers with practical insights, and fostering proactive career management. Distinguished guests from institutions nationwide graced the symposium with their expertise.

The first session, tailored for the School of Accountancy, featured luminaries in the accounting field such as Prof Elmar Venter from the University of Pretoria (UP) and Professor Belinda Le Clerq from the University of South Africa (UNISA). The subsequent session catered to lecturers and senior lecturers across the faculty, featuring presentations from esteemed academics like Prof Mercy Mpinganjira from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), Prof Sebastian (Ian) Rothmann from the North-West University (NWU), and Prof Betty Mubangizi from the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN). Internal speakers, including Prof Burger, Prof Lochner Marais from the Centre for Development Support (CDS) at the UFS, and Prof Nicolene Barkhuizen, Director of the Business School at the UFS, also shared insights.

Symposium value and alignment with Vision 130

Prof Neneh stressed the symposium’s alignment with Vision130. She said, ‘’Hosting this symposium demonstrates the faculty’s commitment to nurturing a research-led faculty that not only addresses local and regional problems but aligns with international standards. Prof Neneh noted that the engagement offered an invaluable opportunity for academic staff to deepen their understanding of research niche areas, the significance of publishing in high-impact journals, and the cultivation of sustainable research networks.

Throughout the symposium, presenters covered a diverse array of topics, including identifying and refining niche research areas, best practices for conducting high-impact research, overcoming publishing challenges, and strategies for enhancing visibility and citation impact.

News Archive

DNA sequencer launched at the UFS

2013-11-25

Dr Gansen Pillay, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Research Foundation, explaining to the scholars what will be expected of them.

The University of the Free State (UFS) can now collect immensely valuable data on drug resistance in HIV/Aids and TB with the new DNA sequencer that was launched recently at the International workshop on HIV/AIDS and TB drug resistance at the Bloemfontein Campus.

The DNA sequencer will allow the Free State province to produce viral and bacterial genetic data to fight the local development of HIV/ Aids and TB drug resistance.

The HIV and TB epidemics have expanded very fast and South Africa now has the largest HIV and TB treatment programme in the world, with over 2 million patients on treatment. However, these successful treatment programmes are now being threatened by the appearance of drug resistance.

The Free State province has been at the forefront of fighting HIV drug resistance in South Africa and has one of the most advanced treatment programmes for the management of resistance strains in the country. In addition, researchers at the University of the Free State are leading partners in the Southern African Treatment and Resistance Network (SATuRN; www.bioafrica.net/saturn), a research network that has trained over 2 000 medical officers in the treatment of drug resistance strains.

The Department of Medical Microbiology and Virology in the Medical School at the UFS has partnered with the provincial department of health, the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Delegation of the European Union to South Africa to fund a dedicated DNA sequencer machine that will be used to generate HIV and TB drug-resistance results. This new machine will enable cutting-edge research to take place, using the data in the province and, importantly, support patients with resistance strains to have access to advanced genotypic testing techniques.

“HIV drug resistance is a very serious problem in South Africa, and the recent advances in DNA testing technology allow clinicians in the province to access drug resistance testing, which enables them to manage patients appropriately who fail treatment, and use the results to cost-effectively extend and improve patients’ lives,” says Dr Cloete van Vuuren, Specialist in Infectious Diseases at the UFS’s Faculty of Health.

Dr Dominique Goedhals, pathologist from the Department of Medical Microbiology and Virology at the UFS, adds: “We have been looking forward to expanding our work with the clinicians and researchers, using DNA sequencing to shed light on the causes and consequences of drug resistance in urban and rural settings in the province.”

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