Dr Zakhele Ndala, who is currently undertaking a secondment in Dr Dowon Bae’s Electrochemical Energy Conversion & Storage (EECS) Lab at CREST Loughborough University, has been awarded the prestigious Wits Rising Scholars Programme at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg.
The five-year fellowship recognises Dr Ndala’s achievements in green hydrogen research, particularly his work on NiFe-based layered double hydroxide (LDH) catalysts for alkaline water electrolysers, undertaken through the STFC-funded TECHydro project. It will support his continued research in the Department of Physics at Wits.
Dr Ndala has also played a key role in strengthening research links between South Africa and the UK, serving as an important liaison in facilitating active collaboration between researchers at Wits and Loughborough University. The award highlights both his research achievements and his contribution to developing active international partnerships in sustainable hydrogen technologies.
