PhD Graduate Promotes Underutilised Crops and Science Communication

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Dr Anne Chisa is celebrating the culmination of a PhD journey that has not only filled research gaps on a climate-smart indigenous crop species, but also launched an entire online science communication platform which promotes African science and innovation.

Born in Malawi, Chisa has lived in Pietermaritzburg most of her life after her family relocated so her father could pursue his studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), an institution that has featured strongly in her life and her number one choice after matriculating from Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School, thanks to the Institution’s renowned agricultural sciences offering.

On the advice of a family friend in agricultural engineering, who recognised Chisa’s love of biology and geography, she explored how agriculture encompasses both. Despite being a reluctant gardening assistant to her mother as a child, her exposure to working with plants prepared her to enter the field of crop science.

Completing her entire academic journey at UKZN, Chisa appreciated its supportive research environment and felt encouraged and supported by staff throughout. Being one of the few universities that offer fee remission for master’s and PhD study was also attractive, and Chisa highlighted the privilege this affords, particularly for students lacking financial resources.

Her PhD study, titled: ‘Characterisation of Underutilised Legumes for Climate-Smart Agriculture under Water Stress’, promotes underutilised, climate-smart legumes for food and nutritional security under drought conditions. Chisa examined root architecture, seed coat traits and seed priming strategies to improve drought tolerance and early seedling establishment for Bambara groundnut. This naturally resilient crop is under-researched and underutilised and improving understanding of its physiological and morphological traits could contribute to climate-smart agriculture, enhance crop diversification, and support food security in drought-prone regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

Chisa found significant variations among Bambara groundnut landraces in drought tolerance, root traits and seed coat characteristics. Some landraces showed strong early establishment and drought resilience, highlighting their potential for breeding and climate adaptation strategies. She also observed the trade-off between seed protection and rapid germination. Certain seed coat traits enhanced protection but slowed emergence, while others promoted faster establishment, important insights for breeding and crop improvement programmes.

The PhD journey included regular setbacks with experimental failure, needing to restart projects and faing moments of doubt that tested her resolve.

Chisa values the community of friends and colleagues she made at UKZN, and thanked her supervisors, Professor Paramu Mafongoya and Professor Alfred Odindo, for their guidance, support and funding. She also thanked Dr Takudzwa Mandizvo for his instrumental collaboration, UKZN and everyone who contributed to her work, including the science and science communication community, who are a source of inspiration.

Chisa credited her family, particularly her parents, for the foundational role they played in her life, and called her younger sister, Tapiwa, her biggest motivation. She thanked her fiancé for his faithful support and said that God had given her the grace to pursue her studies and her passion for science communication as well as to grow personally and professionally as a result.

In 2020, Chisa started the Root of Science Podcast to amplify African perspectives on science, health and innovation. This evolved into Root of Science Media, an online science communication platform. Committing her efforts to this pursuit during her studies required discipline, resilience and self-belief, and despite the challenge of juggling this with her studies, it complemented her research, provided a source of strength, sparked friendships and networking, inspired her to prioritise her mental health while pursuing a PhD and improved her skill at communicating science in an accessible way, strengthening her academic work.

Chisa is now working as a technology transfer officer at Stellenbosch University, an exciting next step in her career that marries her research, science communication, and storytelling experience. She is helping researchers translate their work into real-world impact, whether through intellectual property, commercialisation, or innovation development.

“Through Root of Science Media and [my] current role, my goal has always been to make science meaningful and accessible, and now I get to do that on an even bigger scale,” added Chisa.

Words: Christine Cuénod

Photograph: Sethu Dlamini