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NRF B3 rating acknowledges Prof Martin Nyaga’s high-quality research

13 September 2024 | Story André Damons | Photo André Damons

Prof Martin Nyaga – Associate Professor and Head of the University of the Free State (UFS) Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Unit – recently obtained an NRF B3 rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF), which is not only testament to his research prowess, but also demonstrates his unwavering commitment to academic excellence.

Prof Nyaga made a significant improvement from his previous NRF Y2 rating (categorised as a promising young researcher). His new B3 rating is assigned to a researcher who enjoys considerable international recognition by their peers for the high quality and impact of their recent research output.

“It is an incredibly thrilling experience to attain the esteemed NRF rating in the B category. Accomplishing the NRF B3 rating satiates an enormous sense of being appreciated and acknowledged individually and as an academic at the UFS. This acknowledgement emphasises the high quality of the research that I do and provides immense motivation to continue mentoring upcoming and emerging researchers in the field of molecular virology,” says Prof Nyaga.

Research output

According to him, this recognition serves as motivation to become an NRF A-rated researcher in the next rating cycle. “I am optimistic that I can meet the minimum threshold to be among the highly esteemed NRF A-rated researchers who are internationally recognised as leading scholars in their field of specialisation for their high-quality research and wide impact.”

Prof Nyaga, who is affiliated to the Division of Virology within the Faculty of Health Sciences, has an exponential trajectory in research output dissemination in reputable international conference presentations and scientific/medical journals such as Nature, Nature Medicine, Nature Communications, and Science, among other quantile 1 journals, with significant citations (3 337 times, h-index 20 and i-10 index 32). He has demonstrated unwavering commitment to academic excellence and has made significant strides within his niche research area of whole genome sequencing and metagenomics of enteric and respiratory viruses. He has not only successfully collaborated with eminent researchers both within and outside the university and globally, but his interdisciplinary research approach has led to groundbreaking studies that address complex issues from multiple perspectives.

Prof Nyaga has applied his expertise to address real-world challenges. One notable example is his involvement in community-based projects and public outreach and education. He has organised and participated in various workshops, seminars, and public lectures aimed at disseminating knowledge and raising awareness about important issues in the field of enteric and respiratory pathogen genomics. His efforts have strengthened the ties between the UFS and the broader community, enhancing the impact and visibility of the institution.

Support by the UFS

“Achieving this rating not only required self-driven research-enhancement discipline, networking, and implementation of novel concepts to enhance my NRF research rating from Y to B, but I also received substantial support from my affiliate institution, especially the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Directorate of Research and Development (DRD).”

“The UFS has put in place amazing policies and career development strategies to ensure that focused Y-rated researchers have the opportunity to become established researchers within one rating cycle of five years – a reality that I immensely thank God for enabling me to attain,” says Prof Nyaga.

These programmes include, among others, the Transforming the Professoriate Mentoring Programme, where he was part of the first cohort of members recruited in 2019.

Prof Nyaga, who has supervised/co-supervised seven PhDs and more than 20 master’s and honours postgraduates to graduation, also serves in various leadership roles, including Chairman for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) Pathogen Genomics Initiative (PGI), Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPD) Focus Group (FG), and Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for VPD Surveillance and Pathogen Genomics. His ability to instigate and inspire as the team lead and his strategic vision for the UFS-NGS Unit are key factors in the successful execution of numerous initiatives. He is a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and his efforts have created a more inclusive and welcoming environment for his peers and students from diverse backgrounds.

Future

He plans to undertake future research that has an impact on the national health systems and to establish himself as an international leader in his niche research area. “I hope to create a vibrant association between research and national development goals and to have a transformative effect on my area of research in a way that can influence policy by addressing national and international challenges within global knowledge innovation,” says Prof Nyaga.

His continuing research involves the use of next generation sequencing to decipher the viral component of the respiratory and enteric milieu and accentuate the critical need to define the complete spectrum of disease-causing viruses. Several previously known and unknown viruses have been detected, including viruses with previously unrecognised tropism.

Additionally, whole genome sequencing of important respiratory viruses, such as the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (as part of the respiratory niche) and rotavirus (as part of the enteric niche), is being performed simultaneously for different countries, including South Africa, Zambia, Rwanda, Kenya, Cameroon, Mozambique, and Malawi, to enhance the genomic surveillance of specific respiratory and enteric viruses of interest.

The overall goal is to identify novel pathogens responsible for human viral diseases and to create a flexible and highly effective system for the rapid identification and analysis of emerging or re-emerging agents. This will serve four purposes: (i) improve preparedness for outbreaks, (ii) characterise new viruses, (iii) identify additional new pathogenic viruses, and (iv) provide new understanding of the human respiratory and enteric virome.

“Viruses that appear to be relevant will be prioritised to elucidate specific targets for rapid diagnostics using panels developed from the antigenic sites of the generated genomes, and immune mechanisms used to develop antiviral interventions such as drugs and vaccines,” explains Prof Nyaga.

Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation, commented: “The rating bears testimony to the incredibly important and impactful work that Prof Nyaga is undertaking. The solid international footprint of his publications and their citations also confirm the relevance and currency of his cutting-edge work. The UFS is extremely proud of this signal achievement, and we wish him well with his work in the years ahead.”

News Archive

SA cannot sustain momentum - Boesak

2010-09-02

Photo: Stephen Collett

South Africa finds it increasingly difficult to live up to the challenges facing it as a nation because of its failure to meet its democratic ideals and possibilities, peace and lack of self-belief.

This was according to renowned cleric and former political activist, Dr Allan Boesak, who recently delivered the CR Swart Memorial Lecture, the oldest memorial lecture at the University of the Free State (UFS). His lecture was on the topic Creating moments, sustaining momentum.

He said South Africa had plenty of opportunities to show the whole world what was possible if all the people of this country joined hands and worked together to build a truly united society. However, he said, the country somehow invariably contrived to find its way out of these wonderful possibilities.

He cited events of historical significance like Codesa, the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as the first democratic president of South Africa, the assassination of South African Communist Party leader, Chris Hani; and the rugby and soccer world cups.
To drive his point home about this dismal failure of the country to “sustain momentum”, he alluded to the current public servants’ strike that is gradually crippling public service.

“The public servants’ strike was neither unexpected nor is it completely unjustifiable. Most of us have understanding for the frustration of teachers and health workers. Their demands resonate with most of us, and I think that it is scandalous of SACP fat cats to tell workers to “stop crying like babies,” he said.

He also added to the criticism of the much-maligned decision of the government to spend billions of taxpayers’ money to purchase weapons when there was “no discernible military threat” to the country. He said the greatest threat to the security of the country was poverty, inequality and social cohesion.

“As for the argument that arms sales bring in foreign exchange – how can we be instrumental in killing the poor elsewhere with the intention of feeding our poor, and then our ill-gained profits feed only the already well-fed?” he asked.
“Can we see the hopeless contradiction, the total impossibility of being both the apostle of peace and a merchant of death?”

He also lambasted the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy of the government which he said benefited only those connected to the political aristocracy.

“It couples with the unashamed, in-your-face display of wealth by the privileged elite in this country, the crass materialism of the so-called “bling generation”, and the casual carelessness with which promises to the poor are given and treated. It is only the public symptom of the deep-seated scorn our political elites feel for the poor,” he said.

He said the government’s disdain to the poor was “setting fire to our future”.

“The anger of people on the ground can no longer be denied or ignored, and little by little, the leadership articulating and directing this anger is being estranged from politically elected leadership, and even more disturbing, from our democratic processes,” he said.

He concluded that the country’s difficulty in dealing with race and racism was putting the reconciliation process kick-started by Mandela just over a decade ago, under a threat.

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