Prof Tebello Nyokong holds a DST/NRF professorship in Medicinal chemistry and Nanotechnology at Rhodes University in South Africa.  She is also Director of the DST/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre (NIC)-Sensors also at Rhode University. She joined Rhodes University in 1992 after lecturing at the University of Lesotho for five years. She has been undertaking research on applications of phthalocyanines in healthcare: as photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer agents in combination with nanosized metal nanoparticles and quantum dots. She has successfully supervised 68 PhD/MSc students and 22 post-doctoral fellows. She has published ~ 530 manuscripts (including patents, a book and book chapters).  Her H index is 51 (ISI), 56 (Google Scholar) and she has been cited over 10000 times.

 

She has received many awards (recognitions)  for her research including the following (just a selection):

 

2013: she received South African Chemical Institute (SACI) Gold Medal; she was awarded “A” rating and “Lifetime achievement” by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa and a medal by The World Academy of the Science (TWAS) presented in Argentina

2012: Named by IT News Africa as one of the  top 10 most influential women in science and technology in Africa and was included in the National Center for Research on Human Evolution (CENIEH), located in Burgos, Spain to be one of their "12 NAMES TO CHANGE THE WORLD”;

The same she received recognition by IT News Africa as one of the top ten most influential women in science and technology in Africa.

 

2011: she was awarded  Distinguished Professorship by Rhodes University and recognized by Royal Society in Chemistry/Pan African Chemistry Network as a  Distinguished Woman in  Chemistry;  

 

2010: she received two honorary doctorates from Walter Sisulu University and the University of South Africa and   was inducted into Lesotho Hall of fame; 

2009:   she was awarded  NRF President’s award as Champion for the transformation in research and  L’Oreal-UNESCO award for “Women in Science” as a Laureate representing Africa and the Arab States;

 2007:  she was recognized by the NRF as one of the top three publishing scientists in South Africa;

2004 she was bestowed with the Order of Mapungubwe: Bronze by the then State President of South Africa Mr Thabo Mbeki and  was winner of  SABC2/Shoprite-Checkers Woman of the year 2004 in Science and Technology.

 

In September 2009, a special motion was passed in the South African National Assembly acknowledging Professor Nyokong’s role in the transforming of science in South Africa.

 

Other forms of recognition

 

• Public Protector (Ms Thulu Madonsela)  visited the group in April, 2015

• Featured in 21 Icons (SABC-3), South Africa  - 2014

• Invited to be part of United Nation’s Secretary General’s High Level Panel (HLP) of Experts on Technology Bank and Science, Technology and Innovation supporting Mechanism dedicated to the least developed countries (LDC) - 2014

• Jury, UNESCO/L’Oreal awards for women in Science -2014

• Chair of The World Academy of Science Awards committee for Chemistry -2013-2015.

• Parliamentary Portfolio Committee [PPC] for Science & Technology visited her research group in  2009   and 2013. The honorable Minister of Science and Technology Mrs Naledi Pandor visited her research group in 2010 and again in 2014.