UJ Research and Innovation / Ideation Chairs

The University of Johannesburg hosts 19 SARChI Chairs spread across all its Faculties.

(UJ was awarded its first SARChI Chair in 2009.)

In addition, the University hosts seven 7 Research and Innovation/Ideation Chairs which include UNESCO Chairs, SETA Chairs and a NEDBANK Chair.

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More about Research Chairs

The SARChI Chairs initiative was established in 2006 by the then Department of Science and Technology (now Department of Science and Innovation) under the custodianship of the National Research Foundation (NRF).

The programme was “designed to attract and retain excellence in research and innovation at South African public universities…”, and have a strong focus on the production of “high quality postgraduate students and research and innovation outputs”.

This initiative targets researchers with an established track record and regarded as experts in their respective fields. Since the launch of the initiative, the NRF has awarded more than 200 SARChI Chairs located at the majority of South Africa’s public universities.

More about SARChI Chairs

Launched in 1992, the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme, which involves over 850 institutions in 117 countries, promotes international inter-university cooperation and networking to enhance institutional capacities through knowledge sharing and collaborative work.

The programme supports the establishment of UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks in key priority areas related to UNESCO’s fields of competence – i.e. in education, the natural and social sciences, culture and communication.

More about UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs

In South Africa, the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) are entities of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). The SETAs establish Research Chairs in various industries for rigorous and systematic inquiry and analysis, including the reporting, sharing, publishing and disseminating of research.

Research may be empirical or theoretical, quantitative or qualitative, applied or basic. It may involve the critique of policy; analyses of regularly compiled datasets; explanations of trends; observations; case studies; research investigations; or meta-reviews etc.

Rigorous evaluation studies of educational and training programmes or interventions, including cost-benefit analyses and impact studies, fall under the research umbrella, as do high level analyses of statistics. Research includes: Evaluations; Sector Skills Plans (SSPs); Tracer studies; Research carried out by Research Chairs and Research Partners; Statistical analysis and User satisfaction surveys.

Annual reports; Training reports; Research carried out by interns, Doctoral (PhD) and Master’s Students are excluded.

More about Post-School Education and Training (PSET) that is currently taking place or planned to be undertaken in the 2021/22 – 2023/24 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period by the DHET.

College of Business and Economics (CBE)

DHET/DSI/NRF Chair in Entrepreneurship Education

Prof. Cecile Nieuwenhuizen

Department of Business Management
Email: cecilen@uj.ac.za
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DSI/ NRF/ Newton Fund Trilateral Research Chair in Transformative Innovation,
the 4th Industrial Revolution and Sustainable Development

Prof. Erika Kraemer-Mbula

Department of Economics and Econometrics
Email: erikakm@uj.ac.za
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Education, Training, and Development Practices’ Research Chair

Prof. Tankiso Moloi

Department of Accountancy
Email: smoloi@uj.ac.za
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SARChI Chair in Industrial Development

Prof. Fiona Tregenna

Department of Economics and Econometrics
Email: ftregenna@uj.ac.za
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Transport Education Training Authority (TETA) 4IR Research Chair

Prof. Noleen Pisa

Department of Transport & Supply Chain Management
Email: noleenp@uj.ac.za
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Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&R SETA)
Research Chair

Prof. Mercy Mpinganjira

School of Consumer Intelligence & Information Systems
Email: mmpinganjira@uj.ac.za
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Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA)

SARChI Chair in South African Art and Visual Culture

Prof. Brenda Schmahmann

Department of Visual Art
Email: brendas@uj.ac.za
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Faculty of Education (FE)

DHET /DSI/ NRF Chair in Community and Worker Education

Prof. Salim Vally

Centre for Education Rights and Transformation
Email: svally@uj.ac.za
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SARChI Chair in Education and Care in Childhood

Prof. Jace Pillay

Department of Educational Psychology
Email: jacep@uj.ac.za
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SARChI Chair in Integrated Studies of Learning Language, Mathematics and
Science in the Primary School

Prof. Elizabeth (Elbie) Henning

Department of Childhood Education
Email: ehenning@uj.ac.za
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SARChI Chair in Teaching and Learning in PSET

Prof. Shireen Motala

Department of Childhood Education
Email:  smotala@uj.ac.za
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UNESCO/UNITWIN Chair in Values Education – Learning to Live together

Dr. Nazreen Dasoo

Department of Education and Curriculum Studies
Email: ndasoo@uj.ac.za
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Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE)

South Africa-Switzerland Bilateral Research Chair in Blockchain Technology (SARChI Chair)

Prof. Nnamdi Nwulu

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Science
Email: nnwulu@uj.ac.za
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SARChI Chair in Green Hydrogen

Prof. Tien-Chien Jen

Department of Mechanical Engineering Science
Email:  tjen@uj.ac.za
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SARChI Chair in Sustainable Construction Management and Leadership in the
Built Environment

Prof. Clinton Aigbavboa – Interim Chair

Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying
Email: caigbavboa@uj.ac.za
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Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS)

SARChI Chair in Laser Applications in Health

Prof.  Heidi Abrahamse

Department of Biomedical Technology
Email: habrahamse@uj.ac.za
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Faculty of Humanities (FH)

SARChI Chair in African Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

Prof. Chris Landsberg

Department of Politics and International Relations
Email: clandsberg@uj.ac.za
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SARChI Chair in Social Change

Prof. Ashwin Desai – Interim Chair

Department of Sociology
Email: agdesai@uj.ac.za
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SARChI Chair in Welfare and Social Development

Prof. Tanusha Raniga – Interim Chair

Department of Anthropology and Development Studies
Email: traniga@uj.ac.za
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Faculty of Law (FL)

SARChI Chair in International Law

Prof. Hennie Strydom

Department of Public Law
Email: hstrydom@uj.ac.za
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Faculty of Science (FS)

SARChI Chair in GeoMetallurgy

Prof. Fanus Viljoen

Department of Geology
Email: fanusv@uj.ac.za
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SARChI Chair in Indigenous Plant Use

Prof. Ben-Erik Van Wyk

Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology
Email: bevanwyk@uj.ac.za
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SARChI Chair in Nanotechnology for Water

Prof. Philiswa Nomngongo

Department of Chemical Sciences
Email: pnnomngongo@uj.ac.za
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UNESCO Chair on Medical Geology

Prof. Hassina Mouri

Department of Geology
Email: hmouri@uj.ac.za
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Institute of Intelligent Systems (IIS)

Nedbank Research and Innovation Chair

Prof. Terence van Zyl

Email:  tvanzyl@uj.ac.za
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Johannesburg Business School (JBS)

FoodBev Manufacturing SETA Research Chair

Prof. Arnesh Telukdarie

Professor of Digital Business
Email: arnesht@uj.ac.za
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