Royal Society of SA Medals

2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020

Awardees 2025

Name: Professor Sally Archibald FRSSAf
Award: The John F W Herschel Medal for 2025

Motivation:
For her outstanding contributions in evolutionary biology, functional ecology, fire ecology, climate science, and ecosystem management which have profoundly enhanced our understanding of grassland ecosystems and their complexities. By integrating insights from various disciplines, her research has been crucial in tackling intricate ecological issues and developing effective conservation and management strategies. Her notable achievements and groundbreaking ideas have garnered esteemed grants and leadership positions, amplifying her impact on global biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation efforts. As a dedicated mentor and educator, she remains a source of inspiration and guidance for the next generation of scientists, continually advancing knowledge within her field.

Name: Professor Peter Vale FRSSAf
Award: 2025 Marloth Medal

Motivation:
In a five-decade career, he has significantly contributed to Political Science, International Relations, Social Theory and African Studies. He has been one of the leading scholars on peoples-centred approaches to security, especially in southern Africa. He was one of the early voices calling for decolonization of International Relations, and his works on decolonization have engineered a significant shift in disciplinary thinking. His contribution, however, reaches beyond ideas – he is a pioneer institution builder, the most recent of which is the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study.

My current research revolves around four conceptual and methodical puzzles…

The future of the African State – this involves trying to understand the link between Maarten de Wit and John Anderson’s notion of ‘African Live Corridors’ and the practice of state-based politics in Africa.  This work involves attempts to bridge the conceptual and methodological divide between the Sciences and the Humanities including the social sciences.
Recent publication:  “Africa Alive Corridors: Transdisciplinary research based on African footprints”, (2024) GEOHERITAGE, 16.63. pp. 1-23/ DOI 10.1007/s12371-024-00964-8

How ‘the International’ came to South Africa – Using constructivist (and other) theory, this is a series of interventions on the ‘transportation’ and  ‘integration’ the idea of “the international” was absorbed into political and popular discourse in the making of the South African state. The resulting provocations will be drawn together in a book.  Recent Publication: Vale, P & Thakur, V, “The Commonwealth” in Ulf Engel, Jens Herpolsheimer and Frank Mattheis (eds.) 2024. Globalisation Projects of Regional Organisations. Berlin, Boston MA: De Gruyter Oldenbourg.

State Capture and its Afterlives – Co-editing the second in a series of books on this issue with colleagues from PARI (the Public Affairs Research Institute). Recent Publication: Buthelezi, M., & Vale, P. (Eds.) 2023. State Capture in South Africa: how any why it happened. Johannesburg: Wits University Press. 288 pp.

Security and Defence in Africa: Characteristics, Changes and Impacts on Brazil’s Strategic Environment – This research seeks to contribute to the expansion and deepening of scientific understanding and on the main dynamics, strategic partnerships and security and defence policies of the African continent, assessing impacts on Brazil’s Strategic Surroundings and alternatives for strategic action. This work is with colleagues at the Federal University of Santa Maria.

Name: Dr Mitchell Cox
Award: 2025 Meiring Naudé Medal

Motivation:
For major contributions to the field of Electrical and Information Engineering and Structured Laser Light Photonics. He is a remarkable early-career scientist who has made significant strides in free-space optics and structured light, pushing the boundaries of knowledge. His pioneering work holds the promise of bridging the digital divide and fostering a more equitable society. With a steadfast dedication to research excellence, an impressive record of publications, active academic involvement, and international collaborations, he stands out as a rising star in the global optics and photonics field and thus well-deserving of this prestigious Medal.

Lighting up wireless optical technologies

Imagine high-speed internet beaming across a street from a fibre-connected suburban home to a school in a nearby informal settlement, using a largely 3D-printed, low-cost device with some custom electronics. This vision drives Dr. Mitchell Cox, recipient of the prestigious Meiring Naudé Medal, in his groundbreaking work at the Wits OC Lab. His mission is to bridge the digital divide in South Africa by tackling the complex scientific and engineering challenges needed to develop innovative wireless optical communication systems.

In South Africa, many communities live close to fibre-optic infrastructure, but connecting that final stretch remains a significant hurdle due to cost and logistical challenges. Dr. Cox and his team are designing, building, and testing systems that use beams of light to transmit data through the air—a technology known as wireless optical communication. They focus on creating devices that can be used to provide reliable, high-speed internet access to underserved areas.

One of the main challenges they face is that light beams travelling through the atmosphere can become distorted due to changes in air density and temperature—similar to the shimmering effect you see above a hot road. These distortions cause errors in the transmitted data, making communication unreliable. Traditionally, expensive electronic equipment is used to correct these errors. However, Dr. Cox is creatively using off-the-shelf hardware in innovative ways not originally intended by manufacturers, alongside cutting-edge optical methods, to correct distortions in real time. This approach makes the system more efficient and affordable.

Taking this a step further, Dr. Cox is exploring optical artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance their systems. By implementing optical AI, they aim to reduce the burden on the parts of the system that handle the electronic side of processing data. Using optical fibres to perform complex calculations at the speed of light, they manipulate patterns of light to create an optical neural network—an experimental system that mimics how the brain works, but with light. This might not only improve wireless optical communication, but also has the potential to serve as optical co-processors in future large-scale AI systems, making computations faster and more energy-efficient.

Dr. Cox’s leadership has transformed the Wits OC Lab into a world-class facility. Supported by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and enriched by international collaborations, the lab is at the forefront of wireless optical communications research. He mentors a dynamic team eager to push the boundaries of what is possible with light. At Dr. Cox’s lab, it’s about more than innovation; it’s about solving hard problems at the intersection of photonics and engineering to create a brighter, more connected future for all.

Name: Dr Simone Richardson
Award: Meiring Naudé Medal for 2025

Motivation:
For her major contribution to the fields of Virology, Immunology and Vaccine Design. Her interest in these related disciplines deeply enhances her understanding. Her scholarly contributions as an early career scientist are recognised by her outstanding publication record. The broad impact of her work is not only academic, as evidenced by the piece in Nature news, but also significant for society at large. She has international collaborators and has been successful in securing grants. Her service to the academic community conference organisation attests to her commitment to the academic environment. Finally, being named in 2021 by the UK government for her contributions is an outstanding achievement. She is undoubtedly a very worthy recipient of the Meiring Naudé medal.

Simone is currently a Senior Research Scientist in the Antibody Immunity Research Unit of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, where she also completed her PhD. Her research focuses on the role of cytotoxic antibodies and their functions beyond neutralization or blocking of viral infection in effective vaccination as alternate correlates of protection. Spanning HIV, SARS-CoV-2, Cytomegalovirus, Respiratory syncytial virus and Influenza she also strives to engineer antibodies with improved polyfunctionality for passive immunization. The research aims to map the durability and targets of potent Fc effector functions in these contexts and assess how HIV co-infection alters immune responses. Ultimately, her program seeks to develop immunogens that reliably elicit both neutralizing and Fc effector responses across various viral infections, thereby enhancing protective immunity through vaccination strategies. She currently leads a small team of passionate immunologists and students and has been honoured as an early career fellow of two of the biggest HIV vaccine bodies, the HIV Vaccine Trials Network and the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery and was the recipient of the prestigious Matilde Krim Fellowship in Biomedical Research from the Foundation of AIDS Research (amfAR) and the L’Oreal Women in Science fellowship. Since 2022 she has been part of the SAIS executive where she leads the communication portfolio.

Awardees 2024

Name: Prof Shabir Madhi
Award: John F W Herschel Medal for 2024

Motivation:
For his major contributions in the field of vaccinology and the related fields of epidemiology, immunology and infectious diseases, and in mother and child health, as well as the key area of vaccination policy and public health. His work has received significant national and international recognition and his contribution to recent global events, including through the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the World Health Organisation, and during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, has exemplified his inspiring contribution to research and public health. The breadth, inter-disciplinary scope, and impact of his work have been outstanding as examples of the contribution of a dedicated member of the scientific community, well-deserving of the John FW Herschel Medal.

Professor Shabir Madhi’s current research focusses on the development of vaccines for pregnant women, which could confer protection to the women, their fetuses and offspring during early infancy. He remains involved in the clinical development of vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus, attributed to being the leading cause of hospitalization in children under-5 years of age. Furthermore, he remains dedicated to the development of a vaccine against group B streptococcus, the leading cause of serious community-acquired bacterial infection in neonates and leading infectious disease cause of stillbirths in South Africa. A new branch of research is on molecular and sero- epidemiology studies on invasive Klebsiella pneumoniae disease, a leading cause of multi-antimicrobial resistant hospital-acquired infections globally; which too is aimed at development of multi-valent vaccines targeted at pregnant women. 

Name: Prof Dan J Stein
Award: John F W Herschel Medal for 2024

Motivation:
For his major contributions in the fields of neuroscience, clinical psychiatric research, and mental health epidemiology. His contributions to the field of clinical neuroscience in general, and anxiety and related conditions in particular, have exemplified excellence in truly multi-disciplinary research, and have brought well-deserved international recognition. His prodigious research publication record and contributions to public mental health further illustrate the breadth and impact of his work in a distinguished career, and we consider him a truly deserving recipient of this Medal.

Dan Stein is Professor & Head of the Dept of Psychiatry & Mental Health at the University of Cape Town, and Director of the South African Medical Research Council Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders.  As a clinician-scientist he has contributed extensively to psychiatry, and particularly to work on anxiety and related disorders.  To better understand and address these conditions, he’s taken a multidisciplinary approach, doing studies that range from basic neuroscience, through clinical research, and on to public mental health – and collaborating with epidemiologists, evolutionary scientists, geneticists, mathematicians, neuroimagers, pharmacologists, philosophers, and a range of health professionals

Name: Prof Michael Meadows
Award: 2024 Marloth Medal

Motivation:
For major contributions in the field of environmental and geographical science, covering the topics of Quaternary Science, Land Degradation, Remote Sensing, Geographical Education and Sustainability Science. His work has extended to the field of paleoecology, and the development of the next generation of scientists in the field. The transdisciplinary nature of his work as a physical geographer and sustained high level of scientific output, over four decades, as well as his service to his field and discipline, internationally and at home, make him a truly deserving recipient of the Marloth Medal.

Michael Meadows is President of the International Geographical Union, Professor in the School of Geography and Ocean Sciences at Nanjing University and is a Senior Research Scholar in the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science at the University of Cape Town, where he was Head of Department from 2001-2017. Meadows has authored or co-authored more than 250 peer-reviewed research articles and edited several special editions of international journals.  More substantial works include the co-edited Southern African Geomorphology (Sun, 2012) and Geomorphology and Society (Springer, 2016) and Geography of the Anthropocene (Istanbul University Press, 2023).   He is currently co-editing a volume entitled Research Directions, Challenges and Achievements of Modern Geography (Springer).  Meadows research interests lie broadly in the field of physical geography and more specifically concern Quaternary environmental change and the geomorphological and biogeographical impacts of geologically recent natural and anthropogenic changes.  His research in China has focused largely on environmental changes of the Anthropocene, and embraces a wide range of topics from coastal land reclamation, to climate, vegetation, air and water quality changes due to human impact, and their implications for sustainability.  

Name: Dr Isaac Mphele Nape
Award: Meiring Naude Medal for 2024 

Motivation:
For his outstanding contributions in the field of quantum and classical optics, and the future-focussed development of quantum communication systems. Based on his very impressive track record and the importance of the work that he does, as well as his recognition, not only as an exceptional young South African contributing to science and technology, but also in achieving significant international recognition, we consider that he is a very worthy recipient of the Meiring Naudé medal.

Dr. Isaac Nape, a Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, holds an MSc (with distinction) and a PhD from the School of Physics. His influential contributions to quantum and classical optics have garnered global acclaim, featuring prominently in journals like Nature Photonics, Science Advances, and Nature Communications. Notable accolades include the 2023 Jubilee Silver Medal from the South African Institute of Physics and recognition as one of South Africa’s top 200 young innovators by Mail & Guardian (2023). Currently serving as the Wits-IBM liaison, Dr. Nape is actively engaged in quantum photonics and quantum computing.

Awardees 2023

Name: Prof Luigi Nassembeni
Award: Marloth Medal for 2023

Motivation:
For his outstanding contributions to the use of X-ray crystallography in chemistry and material science that have made a massive impact in South Africa and beyond. He is a well-rounded scientist who has excelled in all aspects of research, teaching and service to the scientific community. His mentorship has had a profound influence on the research landscape of South Africa and he thus embodies the spirit of the Marloth Medal.

Name: Prof Brenda Wingfield
Award: John F W Herschel Medal for 2023

Motivation:
For studies the molecular genetics of fungi, particularly those that cause plant diseases. Her research contributed significantly to an understanding of species concepts and phylogenetic relationships for these fungi. She has pioneered the application of DNA-based research tools including genomics to the study of plant-associated fungi in South Africa, with many examples highlighting their relevance to the sustainability of forests and food security. She holds the DST-NRF SARChI research chair in Fungal Genomics, which provides the platform to support students and pursue her research interests.

Name: A/Prof Jennifer Fitchett
Award: 2023 Meiring Naudé

Motivation:
Jennifer’s research is situated within the discipline of biometeorology, exploring climate change and its impacts on plants, animals and human communities. This includes reconstructing long-term climatic change over tens of thousands of years, exploring trends in contemporary climate dynamics, and investigating the impacts on changing flowering dates in plants, impacts on the tourism sector, and threats to human thermal comfort and health. She actively engages in science communication as the editor of the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS blog), writing regularly for The Conversation Africa, and hosting a podcast entitled Revise, Rebut and Resubmit.

Awardees 2022

Name: Prof Nigel Bennett
Award: 2022 John FW Herschel Medal

Motivation:
Prof Bennett’s research has explored the ecology, physiology and behaviour of African mammals, focussing on the African mole-rats, and on Damaraland mole-rats in particular. He is a highly cited scientist and the implications of his research reach far beyond mole-rats, providing important insights into the physiology, evolution and ecology of other vertebrates.

Name: Prof Nic Spaull
Award: 2022 Meiring Naudé medal

Motivation:
Nic’s research is focussed on inequality in South African schooling with a special emphasis on the acquisition of foundational skills related to reading, writing and mathematics. He has set up large-scale Randomised Control Trials in the Eastern Cape (50 schools) and Limpopo (120 schools) evaluating the impacts of teacher-coaches, workbooks and teacher assistants.

Awardees 2021

Name: Prof Quarraisha Abdool Karim
Award: 2021 John FW Herschel

Motivation:
Prof Quarraisha Abdool Karim works on policy and programmatic contributions to understanding the evolving HIV epidemic in South Africa; unravelling factors influencing HIV acquisition in adolescent girls and young women; design and evaluation of interventions to prevent HIV infection and developing sustainable strategies to introduce ART in resource-constrained settings and implementation of new HIV prevention technologies.

Name: Prof Leonard Barbour
Award: 2021 John FW Herschel

Motivation:
Prof Len Barbour is one of the two recipients. Prof Barbour’s speciality is Structural Chemistry and Material Science. His lab is the best-equipped of its kind in South Africa and was expanded by building his own workshop in which he makes specialised equipment. This has allowed him to innovate on different aspects of the properties of materials which are highly porous and can be used as storage for gases.

Name: Prof Mike Bruton
Award: 2021 Marloth Medal

Motivation:
His career initally focused on ichthyology and aquatic ecology at Rhodes University and as Director of the South African Institute of Aquatic Biology. Subsequently his contributions focused on science and environmental education, the psychology of learning, the nature of creativity, structure and function of the brain, the history and the development of museums and science centres as well as technological innovation.

Awardees 2020

Name: Prof Glenda Gray
Award: 2020 John FW Herschel Medal

Motivation:
Professor Gray is a paediatrician and a medical scientist. She is widely recognised for her research on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, HIV vaccines and HIV prevention more broadly. Her research has also covered sexual and other risk factors in HIV acquisition, fertility and reproduction in women in the context of the HIV epidemic.

Name: Dr Dyllon Randall
Award: 2020 Meiring Naudé Medal

Motivation:
Cape Town narrowly avoided “day zero”, the day their taps were predicted to run dry. As a result of this challenge, Dr Randall and his team developed the world’s first fertilizer-producing urinal that uses no water and does not need to be connected to a conventional sewage line. Dyllon discovered a process for the conversion of urine into bricks. In the picture, he shows an original edition of Darwin’s Origin of Species.

Name: Prof Piet Steyn
Award: 2020 Marloth Medal 

Motivation:
Prof Steyn dedicated a lifelong research career to the exploration of mycotoxins. After his retirement he kept on working relentlessly to mentor young scientists and offered his wealth of knowledge to the Research Office of Stellenbosch University.