RESEARCH AT WITS Over the last five years, our research output has increased by 10% with 96% of research published in international, high impact academic journals. Wits has a proud history of research excellence dating back to its origins as a School of Mining in 1922. Over the years, research activities have evolved to include the fields of humanities, social sciences and health sciences. More recently, we have encouraged a blended, interdisciplinary approach to research at Wits. This puts us in the right place to grapple with the complexities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, while producing world-class research that transforms and impacts society in multiple beneficial ways.
Research highlights Research productivity exceeded the 2 000 units barrier for the first time against a target of 1 952 units, completing 10 years of year-on-year growth
- The Optical Society of America named Wits’ research involving fractal light from lasers as the most influential in optics and photonics.
30 South African Research Initiative Chairs, including 2 new Chairs
- Climate scientists are developing the first Earth System Model based in Africa which will contribute to the fight against the climate emergency.
Below are some examples of the type of high quality, relevant research conducted at Wits in fields like Covid-19, HIV, genetics, quantum computing, energy, migration, diversity and inequality:
- In a major African Genome study, Wits geneticists have discovered more than three million new genetic and susceptibility variants which informs African population history, environmental adaptation and susceptibility to disease.
- A milestone in the prevention of HIV among women in sub Saharan Africa, the newly discovered (CAB LA) injection to prevent HIV is more effective than the current HIV pill.
- PeCo Power – a home-grown electrical off-grid solution that will radically change lives and impact local communities.
- The Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform (WADDP) research unit discovered that the repurposing of drugs is a cost-efficient approach that eliminates the lengthy time frames of conventional drug development, thus giving patients treatment sooner.
- A low-cost, long-range, free-space optics that can connect informal settlement communities to highspeed internet. - Wits Professors developed technology using molecular diagnostics that ensures the efficacy of the equipments that tests for tuberculosis which improves diagnosis and treatment of TB around the world.
215
Total number of SARChI Research Chairs and Postdoctoral Research Fellows
National Research Foundation (2020)
422
Total number of NRF*- Rated Researchers
*National Research Foundation (2020)
26
Researchers
(2020)
3 793
Research Publications
(by 1 December 2021)
20 6
Areas of Research Excellence (2021)
DSI-NRF Centres of Excellence are hosted, or co-hosted at Wits
POSTGRADUATE GUIDE | 2022/2023
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