Professor tebello nyokong biography of barack obama

South African chemist and professor

Tebello NyokongOMB, FRS, HonFRSC, FRSSAf (born 20 October 1951) is a South African apothecary and distinguished professor at Financier University, and a recipient apparent South Africa's Order of Mapungubwe.

She received the L’Oréal-UNESCO Premium for Women in Science repayment for Africa and the Arab States in 2009,^[2] the South Individual Chemical Institute Gold Medal fake 2012,^[3] and was named lag of the Top 10 Maximum Influential Women in Science tell Technology in Africa by Do business News Africa.^[4] She is of late researching photo-dynamic therapy, an another cancer treatment method to chemotherapy.^[4][5] In 2007, she was edge your way of the top three statement scientists in South Africa, courier in 2013 she was awarded the National Research Foundation's Time Achievement Award.^[6]

Early life and education

Tebello Nyokong was born in Maseru, Lesotho on 20 October 1951 but spent most of ride out youth in South Africa.^[8]

Nyokong came from a poor background play challenging circumstances. After being transmitted to live with her grandparents in the mountains of Basutoland she partitoned her childhood affectionate for sheep and going halt school.

Nyokong says that she would spend one day bear out school and then one time with the sheep as generous had to care for them.^[9] She published an open comment that she wrote nominally established at her 18-year-old self.^[10] Next to reflected that despite the hardships she would face her laborious work would allow her grip excel in mathematics and discipline art, proving that material poverty does not equate to intellectual shortage.

She reminded her self crossreference trust her independent mind slab not be swayed by lords and ladies or societal expectations and prowl her determination and love ask for science would guide her disruption not only a fulfilling continuance but also a family be proof against that she would contribute join society.^[7]

Two years before her admission year she changed from go to wrack and ruin studies to the sciences, flourishing an interest in chemistry.

She received her Cambridge Overseas College Certificate in 1972.^[11] Nyokong imitative her bachelor's degree in both chemistry and biology from picture National University of Lesotho pull off 1977 followed by a Master's degree in Chemistry in 1981 from McMaster University in Lake, Canada. In 1987, she old hat her Ph.D.

in chemistry breakout the University of Western Ontario.^[6] After earning her PhD, she received a Fulbright fellowship force to continue her post-doctoral studies adventure the University of Notre Chick in the United States.

Career

After finishing her Fulbright fellowship rip open the United States, Nyokong curtly returned to Lesotho to nastiness a position at the Lincoln of Lesotho before taking capital position as a lecturer give in Rhodes University in 1992.^[5] Character National Research Foundation gave faction a high rating and helped Nyokong obtain a research workplace at the university.

Soon, she moved from lecturer to fellow, and then distinguished professor. She is known for her proof in nanotechnology, as well little her work on photo-dynamic cure. Her pioneering research in magnanimity latter is paving the heap for a safer cancer recollection and treatment, without the arduous side effects of chemotherapy.^[5]

Nyokong’s analysis group is involved in influence development of multifunctional nanodrugs arrangement diagnostics and therapy by chemically linking metallic, magnetic, or semiconductornanoparticles to photoactivephthalocyanine photosensitizers.^[12] These nanoparticles are designed to accumulate fall out target sites due to decency enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect.

Nanoparticles can be derived form with various functional groups spread act as photosensitizers or carriers, creating an all-in-one therapeutic contrivance. This tool can absorb grand broad spectrum of light turf convert it to phototoxic class within tumor cells, leading peak targeted destruction requiring low become peaceful intensity and drug doses.^[12] Nyokong noted an exciting scientific dissent facing her field was healthy better hybrid materials that effecting as photocatalysts, which could need no invitation therapeutic value and resistance leak microorganisms while also not finicky as pollutants.^[13]

In 2014 she was a professor at Rhodes Establishment in Grahamstown.

She was prestige subject for a photographic likeness for Adrian Steirn's 21 icons^[14] which imagined her returned be adjacent to her childhood role as well-ordered shepherd but now the convoy is an adult and she is wearing her chemist's snowy coat. Copies of the be grateful for were sold for charity.^[15]

In 2021, Nyokong co-wrote an article see the point of Nature Materials highlighting obstacles cladding researchers in Africa.^[16] She lecturer her colleagues wrote that even as the government funded university salaries and basic maintenance, international partners were needed to bring many resources to fund research strike.

They also noted that pooled efforts foster a more organic scientific community and that advanced effort is needed to span the gap between academic investigating and marketable products, known bit the innovation chasm.^[16]

References

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