Vincent Maphai Scholarship Award for Young Researcher

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‘Just the title of the scholarship itself makes a tremendous impact on the way I value myself. Now I believe in my capabilities so much more and I am able to set the bar even higher for myself to climb up that ladder of success even faster.’

These were the words of Ms Merantha Moodley upon hearing the news that she has earned herself the Vincent Maphai Scholarship Award. ‘The scholarship provides me with a safety net knowing that I have funds available to further my studies,’ she said.

This scholarship - awarded to the top-ranked Master’s student in the entire University - is named after Dr Vincent Maphai, the first UKZN Council Chairman, former BHP Billiton South Africa Chairman and holder of many other cooperate offices.

Moodley, 23 - who is nearing the tail-end of her Master’s studies in Medical Sciences in the School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences - is incredibly proud of herself and her hard work. She intends on completing her PhD degree in the next three years.

‘I am very thankful to my Honour’s supervisor, Dr Bongani Nkambule, who not only taught me about flow cytometry, but went above and beyond his role to guide our group on scientific writing; delivering impactful presentations, statistical analysis and applying for research grants. Finding out that I am the top-ranked master’s student is just the cherry on top,’ she said.

Moodley’s master’s research project focuses on Pre-eclampsia and HIV; the top-ranked women’s health disorders. She is exploring the role of neutrophil extracellular traps in HIV-associated pre-eclampsia under the supervision of Professor Anita Naicker at the Optics and Imaging Centre. Her project involves the use of immunohistochemistry and morphometric image analysis to analyse these neutrophil extracellular traps.

‘I am incredibly thankful to Professor Naicker for her impeccable guidance on my research project thus far. I would also like to thank the entire team at the Optics and Imaging centre for their help, guidance and support,’ she said.

Moodley said being a researcher has allowed her to break boundaries in discovering novel breakthroughs which adds to the current body of knowledge and will have a positive impact on society and their wellbeing. She would love to have the opportunity to present her research internationally one day.

‘Embrace your weaknesses and work on them with dedication to turn them into strengths. When you find the joy in what you do, there won’t be a single thing that you can’t get through. Work hard, stay humble and always help the people around you. You are more than you think you are. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank funders of the Vincent Maphai Scholarship. This scholarship provides a platform to motivate aspiring young researchers such as myself to be noticed as we reach for the stars and reap the fruit of success,’ she advised.

Words: Lihle Sosibo

Photograph: Rajesh Jantilal