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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

UFS responds to concerns around high costs of higher education

2015-10-15

Dear Students

UFS responds to concerns around high costs of higher education

There is an understandable and shared concern among students in the country around the high costs of higher education. As you know, this also is a matter of deep concern on our campuses, which the University of the Free State (UFS) has made a priority in discussions with student leaders - and through new strategies to relieve the burden of costs on poor students and their families. In fact, in the past two weeks, the UFS leadership has again engaged students on the matter of fees in the future.

This is what we have done so far. We have maintained our position as one of the universities with the lowest tuition fees in the country. As you would have seen from recent newspaper reports on the cost of a degree at various institutions over the past five years, the UFS has had consistently low fees. This is not an accident; both the University Council and the executive leadership of the UFS is of one mind that we must offer a high quality education at minimum cost to all our students, despite the rising costs of operating a large multi-campus university with 30 000 students. Our commitment to you is to continue to keep those costs to students as low as possible, without compromising on the quality of education.

In addition, we took a decision earlier this year to become the first university to drop application fees for first-year students. We are proud of that achievement, since so many students fall at this first hurdle as they contemplate post-school education and training. We also waived registration fees for postgraduate students and now Research Master’s and PhD students can study tuition free under certain conditions. We raised more than R60 million from the private sector to enable talented students, who do not receive NSFAS funding, to complete their degree studies at the UFS. We set aside some of the university’s own funds to enable even more students to access finance for their studies. And we now have a special office set aside to counsel and assist students to apply for more than one scholarship to support their studies. The university does not follow a policy of maximizing exclusions. It has endeavoured and succeeded to turn around the majority of its potential deregistration cases. During 2015 we had 2 700 students at the risk of being de-registered, but our serious efforts resulted in only over 200 instances of exclusion we could not mitigate. As is the practice for the past few years, these students’ debt for 2015 has been reversed.

But, we do not only look for funds from outside to support our students. Last year we set up a Staff Fund to which ordinary members of the academic and support staff can contribute from their own, and sometimes very modest, salaries to enable Kovsie students to finish their degrees. We have volunteers who work on the No Student Hungry (NSH) Bursary Programme to raise funds for students who cannot afford a regular meal. We have an open line to rural and township schools to nominate poor students with good results for support by the Rector’s Fund, and some of those students are now in their final year of studies. And many of our staff support individual students in their homes and with their families, without being asked to do so. This is what we call the Human Project and it remains central to the way in which we deal with students.

We will of course continue to make representation to government, the private sector, and individuals to increase funding, especially for first-generation students, and for families where more than one student is at university. We will continue to take to the road to raise funds from companies and foundations to finance our students. We will expand on-campus opportunities for limited working hours for students who wish to earn some money to support their studies. As we have said often before, no student who passes all their courses or modules will be turned away simply because they do not have the funds to study.

The UFS discusses and agrees to fee increases with our students well in advance of the next academic year. None of these decisions are taken without the agreement of the student leadership and thus far these engagements, while tough, have always been done in good faith and with the students’ interests at heart.

It is important for you to know that, with the declining government subsidy, in real terms, and the expanding needs of our students, we will not be able to keep the university running without fees - even though this source of revenue comes mainly through scholarships and bursaries. We need to compensate staff, purchase new library books and renew journal subscriptions (which is very difficult given the low value of the Rand), upgrade computers and software, pay rates and taxes, purchase laboratory equipment, pay the water and electricity bills, expand internet services, upgrade campus security, and hire more academics to keep class sizes reasonably small. It is important for you to know that the university has managed to avoid increasing student fees as a result of much higher municipal rates. Our lecturers are not the highest paid in the country and financially we run a tight ship. We consistently achieve unqualified audits and we are known to be one of the universities that manage its NSFAS contributions with great efficiency. We do this because of our commitment to ensure that our students are able to enjoy a high quality of education on a stable campus where there is a deep respect for all campus citizens.

Despite all these efforts, the most important message we wish to communicate, is that the door remains open for continued discussion with student leaders as we continue to find ways of keeping university education open and accessible to all qualifying students. At the same time, the UFS leadership is involved in discussions with government about how to best manage the escalating cost of higher education for our dents.

Thank you for your support and understanding at this time and be assured, once again, of our commitment to students as a matter of priority to the university leadership.

Best regards

Prof Jonathan Jansen
Vice-Chancellor and Rector

University of the Free State
19 October 2015

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