CSIR’s young researchers touching lives through innovation

They enhance our methods for extracting minerals, planning our cities and maintaining cybersecurity

Young scientists working at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are at the forefront of technological advancements that are enhancing South Africans’ quality of life. During this year’s Youth Month, we shone a spotlight on some of these outstanding researchers.  

Dr Zubeida Dawood – Keeping our information safe

Dr Zubeida Dawood (33) leads the CSIR’s research in information and cybersecurity, which concerns the governance, privacy and trust elements of cybersecurity. Dawood deals with matters of national security, managing projects with sensitive information or developing tailored strategies for both local and international clients. Some projects have direct benefits for businesses in South Africa, such as her work on a software toolkit that will support organisations to comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (Act 4 of 2013) to help manage consent by customers and clients. 

She holds a BSC in Computer Science, BSC Honours in Computer Science, Msc in Computer Science and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. “A common misconception is that one needs to be extraordinarily smart or a genius to become a cybersecurity researcher,” says Dawood modestly.

Zamaswazi Nkosi – Addressing our mining challenges

Zamaswazi Nkosi (31) has always been fascinated by the idea of designing and constructing structures that can withstand the forces of nature and support human activity.  Nkosi grew up believing that she would find her footing in the civil engineering field someday. However, as she progressed through her education, she found herself drawn more toward the study of geology and Earth sciences and realised that her love for science, data analysis and environmental issues aligned better with a career in geoscience. In her role as a geoscientist at the CSIR, Nkosi focuses on rock engineering, geology, and geophysics. 

She is passionate about using her abilities to resolve problems in the mining sector. She believes that geoscientists must be able to adapt to and adopt new technologies, methods, processes and discoveries. “I contribute to the development and use of high-resolution geophysical tools such as 3D and 2D ground-penetrating radar and explore their applicability in addressing mining challenges,” she says. Nkosi studied mathematics, physical science, geography, engineering graphics and design in high school, which enabled her to enrol in engineering studies at university level. She holds a BSc (Geology), BSC (Hons) (Geology) and MSc (Geology) from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Amy Pieterse – Sustainable urban planning

Amy Pieterse (32) is an urban planner and senior researcher in the CSIR’s urban and regional dynamic research group. She is playing a leading role in the GreenBook (greenbook.co.za), a planning support system that the CSIR developed and launched in 2019. The core team works on projects that roll the GreenBook out to local government, in a bid to support this tier of government’s ability to undertake long-term planning that is cognisant of climate change, hazards and vulnerabilities. GreenBook stakeholders include the South African national government, the insurance industry and non-profit organisations. 

She holds a Bachelor and a Master’s in Town and Regional Planning from the University of Pretoria. She completed the latter in 2020, then embarked on a six-month research programme at the Technical University of Berlin, where she developed a PhD proposal as part of the Global Centre of Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability. She subsequently began working on her PhD at the University of Pretoria’s Department of Town and Regional Planning.