Dr Thulani Makhalanyane recently won one of two TW Kambule-NSTF awards as an emerging researcher (post-doctoral in a period of up to six years after the award of a PhD or equivalent in research).  

Dr Makhalanyane is currently a lecturer in the Department of Genetics, and a member of the Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG) at the University of Pretoria. His research focuses on the microbial ecology of cold desert soil and marine habitats. The ‘meta-omics’ approaches that Dr Makhalanyane currently employs with international experts is reshaping the way we understand the role of active microbial populations in shaping the environment and vice versa. 

In the last year, Dr Makhalanyane has published seven articles in peer-reviewed international journals and is currently supervising three postgraduate students at CMEG.