Research and Innovation Niche Areas
The policy at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) is that Research and Innovation be driven by a strategy of
gearing research towards institutionally approved focus and niche areas, which promote innovative research for the
economic development of the country and also enjoy international recognition. An R&I Niche Area has a well-defined
research theme and should move through a development trajectory and strive to develop up to the stage where they
are regarded to be TUT Centres.
The table below gives a summary of the TUT R&I Niche Areas that currently are in different stages of development.
Approved Niche Areas (NA)
NA Leader
Appropriate architecture for South Africa
Prof Gerald Steyn
ICT for Business Enhancement
Prof Tiko Iyamu
Spectrometry
Prof Rob McCrindle
Telecommunications and signal processing
Prof Mjumo Mzyece
Control, Image Processing and Machine Intelligence
Prof Alex Hamam
Electric power and industrial systems
Prof Adisa Jimoh
Evidence-based health promotion
Prof Susan Wright
Extraction Process
Prof Ben Botha
Food innovation, quality and safety
Prof Piet Jooste
Governmental Financial Governance
Dr Lourens Erasmus
Intelligent Distributed Systems
Prof Seleman Ngwira
Natural Products in Drug Development
Ms Ilse Vermaak
Water & wastewater management for the sustainability of water
resources in South African underdeveloped areas
Prof Maggie Momba
Separations/Speciation
Prof Prince Ngobeni
ICT for Education
Dr Linda van Ryneveld
Management and entrepreneurship
Ms Lizl Steynberg