Winner2026
Dr Avela Majavu
Research and Development Chemist, Sibanye-Stillwater Precious Metals Refinery
Global Women of Influence Award
Precious metals refining
Member honours – a running record
Recognition earned, year by year.
SAYAS members are recognised in national and international awards for research, leadership and public science. This page keeps the record, and grows as new honours are announced.
The honours roll
Members recognised, most recent first.
Each entry records the member, the award, and the body that made it. Where a member has been honoured more than once, every award is recorded on their entry.
2026Four members · six honours
Winner3 September 2026
Prof. Muthumuni Managa
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, UNISA
Research Excellence Award
NRF Awards · Early Career and Emerging Researchers
Nanotechnology for water sustainability
2 more honours in 2026
- Raikes Medal, South African Chemical Institute.
- South African Women in Science Awards, Distinguished Young Woman Researcher — Natural and Engineering Sciences, 2nd runner-up.
1st runner-up20 August 2026
Dr Yaseera Ismail
Physics, Stellenbosch University · QuPhotonics Lab
Distinguished Young Woman Researcher
South African Women in Science Awards · Natural and Engineering Sciences
Quantum communication and secure free-space optics
Top 200August 2026
Dr Jairus Lamola
Research Scientist, Sasol Research and Technology
200 Young South Africans
Mail & Guardian · Technology and Innovation
Fischer–Tropsch catalysts and sustainable aviation fuel
Keep the record complete
If a SAYAS member has been honoured, we want it on this page.
Send the award, the date, the awarding body and a photograph, and it will be added to the roll.