UKZN is home to 17 of the approximately 200 prestigious South African Research Chairs awarded by the NRF. The broad areas of research covered by the chairs are:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Gravitating Systems
- Systems Biology of HIV/AIDS
- Quantum Information Processing & Communication
- Fluorine Process Engineering & Separations Technology
- Waste and Climate Change
- Economic Development
- Applied Poverty Reduction Assessment
- Land Use Planning and Management
- Rural Agronomy and Development
- Gender and childhood sexuality: violence, inequalities and schooling
- Proteolysis in homeostasis, health and disease
- Ecosystem health and biodiversity in KZN and the Eastern Cape
- Antibiotic Resistance and One Health
- Indigenous Knowledge Systems
- Sugarcane Biorefining
- Sustainable Rural Livelihoods
UKZN boasts seven NRF “A” Rated researchers – the fifth highest in the country.
Research Centres
UKZN boasts various Research Centres where investigative and interdisciplinary work is done in diverse fields. Researchers and scientists at these Centres are at the forefront of cutting-edge work which has seen UKZN establish itself as an internationally respected research-led university. The Centres include:
- CENTRE FOR THE AIDS PROGRAMME OF RESEARCH IN SOUTH AFRICA (CAPRISA)
- DST-NRF CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN HIV PREVENTION
- AFRICA HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- AFRICA CENTRE FOR CROP IMPROVEMENT
- HEALTH ECONOMICS AND HIV AND AIDS RESEARCH DIVISION (HEARD)
- CENTRE FOR SOCIO-LEGAL STUDIES
- CENTRE FOR COMMUNICATION, MEDIA AND SOCIETY
- ASTROPHYSICS AND COSMOLOGY RESEARCH UNIT
