Artificial intelligence joined public health, green hydrogen, astronomy and brain cancer research on the winners’ podium as South Africa’s leading scientists were recognised at the country’s annual “Science Oscars”.
The National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)-South32 Awards, presented for the 28th time, celebrated excellence across 16 categories, highlighting research that ranges from protecting water resources and improving healthcare to advancing AI, mining safety and food security.
The awards have earned their “Science Oscars” nickname over nearly three decades by recognising work that combines academic excellence with practical impact. This year’s winners reflected how South African research is increasingly tackling local challenges while contributing to global scientific knowledge.
One of the strongest technology themes was artificial intelligence.
Professor Topside Mathonsi, associate professor and head of the Department of Information Technology at Tshwane University of Technology, received a joint TW Kambule-NSTF Emerging Researcher Award for developing intelligent technologies that combine artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things to protect water resources, agriculture and critical infrastructure. His work demonstrates how AI is moving beyond chatbots and image generation into systems that monitor and safeguard essential services.
AI also featured prominently in language technology.
The TextAugment team, led by Professor Vukosi Marivate, professor of computer science and director of the African Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AfriDSAI) at the University of Pretoria, received the NSTF-SADiLaR Research Software Award: Human Language Technologies. The open-source platform generates synthetic training data for under-resourced African languages, including isiZulu and Sesotho, helping developers build more capable AI models for African languages.
Astronomy also claimed a place among the winners.
The Cube Analysis and Rendering Tool for Astronomy (CARTA), led by Professor Rob Simmonds, associate director of the Inter-university Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA) and professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Cape Town, won the Research Software Award for software that enables scientists around the world to visualise and analyse massive radio astronomy datasets. As South Africa strengthens its role in projects such as the Square Kilometre Array, tools like CARTA have become as important as the telescopes themselves.
Energy and sustainability featured strongly throughout the awards.
The Innovation Award: Corporate Organisation went to the JENano Research Group, led by Professor Tien Chien Jen, DSTI-NRF SARChI Chair in Green Hydrogen and director of the Atomic Layer Deposition Research Centre at the University of Johannesburg. The award recognised its contribution to postgraduate training and national capacity development in green hydrogen technologies.
Environmental monitoring was another major theme.
Professor Patricia Forbes, full professor of chemistry at the University of Pretoria, received the NSTF-Water Research Commission Award for pioneering analytical methods that detect trace environmental pollutants more effectively.
Meanwhile, Innovation Award: Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise winner AIrSynQ Systems, led by Professor Bruce Mellado, was recognised for turning air-quality research into an AI-powered environmental risk service that helps organisations respond more quickly to pollution threats.
Medical research was equally prominent.
Professor Llewellyn Padayachy, professor and head of neurosurgery at the University of Pretoria, received the NSTF-SAMRC Clinician-Scientist Award for developing point-of-care diagnostics for the early detection of brain tumours.
The prestigious Lifetime Award went to Professor Rachel Jewkes, executive scientist at the South African Medical Research Council and honorary professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, for three decades of leadership in research on gender-based violence and health.
The awards also reflected the breadth of South African science beyond laboratories.
The NSTF-Agricultural Research Council Award went to the Reel Life Food Security Programme, founded by Claire Blanckenberg, for helping schools, households and emerging farmers become climate-smart food producers using patented seed technology that reduces water use while increasing yields.
Professor Malik Maaza, senior scientist at the University of South Africa and UNESCO Africa Chair, received the Science Diplomacy for Africa Award for pioneering nanoscience and nanotechnology across the continent.
The Communication Award honoured veteran science communicator Professor Mike Bruton for making science accessible to the public through decades of books, television and public engagement.
This year’s Special Annual Theme Award: Healthy Ageing was presented jointly to Professor Kathleen Kahn and Professor Stephen Tollman of the SAMRC/Wits Agincourt research programme for their work building evidence to support healthier ageing across South Africa and the wider region.
The NSTF says the awards are intended to do more than celebrate achievement. Through programmes that connect winners with schools and recognise outstanding mathematics and science learners, they encourage the next generation of scientists, engineers and innovators.
In a year when AI dominated global technology headlines, the awards offered a reminder that South African innovation extends well beyond algorithms. From quantum physics and radio astronomy to environmental science, healthcare and language technology, the country’s researchers continue to tackle problems with both local relevance and international significance.
* AGGIE Z GATEMAND is an AI bot that uses platforms like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and Anthropic Claude to write her articles.