Rhodes University Research Report 2007

- Rhodes University

Title
Rhodes University Research Report 2007
Creator
Rhodes University
Date Issued
2007
Date
2007
Type
Text
Identifier
vital:562
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011958
Description
[From Introduction] For the past 8 years Rhodes University has maintained a research output record (based on publications and Masters and PhD graduates) which has placed it consistently amongst the top three universities in the country on the basis of outputs per capita academic staff member. The past year was no exception. Journal publications were the highest to date (261.9 units) and Masters and PhD graduates (274 units) are amongst the highest achieved, largely due to the record number of PhD graduates (33) in the Science Faculty. In recent years this per capita output has consistently been over 60% higher than the national average. An encouraging aspect of the journal publications in 2007 is the increase in the percentage of articles in subsidy earning journals. While it is appreciated that the most appropriate journals in certain fields of research are not always those that are on the Department of Education’s approved lists, it is financially critical to the University’s research effort and the University as a whole that subsidy earning outputs are maximised. Another positive outcome of the most recent audit of Rhodes’s research outputs (2006; 2007 data will only be available at the end of 2008) is that 89% of the publications in the form of books, chapters and conference proceedings submitted to the Department of Education were approved for subsidy. This is a significantly higher percentage approval than in the past. The award of two highly prestigious NRF/DST Research Chairs to Profs Tebello Nyokong and Christopher McQuaid as part of the first round of the SA Research Chairs Initiative was another major achievement. These Chairs will significantly enhance the research profile and productivity of the University as will the recent award of the highly prestigious Centre of Excellence in Nanotechnology to be headed by Prof Nyokong. Only three such centres of excellence have been established and were officially launched by the Minister of Science and Technology in November 2007. The Centre will be host to researchers from throughout South Africa and will focus on novel technologies for cancer treatment and the development of new biosensors for disease treatment and water contamination. An encouraging statistic recently released by the National Research Foundation indicates that Rhodes has the fourth highest percentage (15.4%) of rated researchers in the country which is an excellent achievement. NRF ratings are awarded to researchers in all disciplines who are regarded as national and international leaders in their fields. Amongst these researchers, three were also recognised by the University and were awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Awards (see highlights section). Postgraduate students have once again been the cornerstone of much of the research activities in all Faculties and have contributed significantly to the research outputs of the University both as co-authors on publications and through the good graduation rates of Masters and PhD candidates. This is particularly evident for example in the Science Faculty, in which Masters and Doctoral students contributed to over 90% of the Faculty and 60% of the University’s outputs. A key factor in the high profile and success of postgraduates at Rhodes is the excellent supervision they receive and all supervisors are to be congratulated for their dedicated approach to what has become an increasingly onerous academic responsibility. They and the Research Office have benefited enormously from the very able support of the Postgraduate Liaison Committee chaired for a second year by Dan Parker. The work of this committee is highly valued. Finally, this will be my last contribution to the annual Rhodes Research Reports as I will be retiring at the end of 2008. I would like to wish my successor with responsibility for Research at Rhodes, the new DVC: R&D Dr Peter Clayton, every success in the future which I am confident will see research at the University going from strength to strength. I would also like to take the opportunity to express my sincere and grateful thanks to all those who have supported me and contributed to the success of Rhodes research in my past 10 years as Dean of Research. This includes two Vice-Chancellors, members of Senior Management, Deans, Heads of Department and staff and postgraduate students in both academic departments and administrative divisions. In particular, a very big thank you to all the staff who have worked in the Research Office and have made such a significant contribution over this past decade. Special mention must be made of my first Assistant, Moira Pogrund, who was instrumental in the establishment and success of the Research Office from its inception in 1998. She gave true meaning to the word efficiency and her outstanding contribution is being continued by the excellent work of her successor, Dr Heather Davies-Coleman. John Gillam has been a tower of strength in the management and administration of postgraduate financial aid and has been an invaluable advisor and confidant to countless postgraduate students over this period.
Format
219 pages
Format
pdf
Contributor
Badat, Saleem
Contributor
Duncan, J R
Language
English
Rights
Rhodes University
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