MOST PROMISING YOUNG RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR 

Dr Bingwa is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemical Sciences within the Faculty of Science. His research focus is on heterogeneous catalysis, with emphasis on the application of metal oxides as catalysts and as catalytic supports for metallic nanostructures. His work involves the utilisation of mixed-metal oxides of the perovskite form as catalysts for the transformation of bioderived organic molecules. He also studies the effect of electronic parameters of the perovskite catalysts using tools such as the Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to determine the electron densities around the metal cations, the arrangement of electrons in the d-orbitals, and the atomic states of catalyst constituents for the design of smart heterogeneous catalysts. 

Dr Bingwa is currently the Deputy Director of the Research Centre for Synthesis and Catalysis hosted by the University of Johannesburg. He is an author of more than 30 research articles published in reputable peer-reviewed international journals such as Applied Catalysis B Environmental (IF = 21.4), ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces (IF = 10.4), Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers (IF = 7.8), and Journal of Materials Science (IF = 4.8). Dr Bingwa has more than 580 Google Scholar citations, with an h-index of 11. In addition, he co-authored a book chapter with scientists from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Moscow, Russia. He participated in over 10 local and international conferences, including the prestigious 71st Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting. Dr Bingwa is currently serving as a Guest Editor for a special issue in the Applied Sciences Journal (IF = 2.9). He is a recipient of the NRF Thuthuka Research Grant (2019 to 2024) administered by the Department of Science and Innovation and has attracted more than R1.5 million in research grants. Dr Bingwa has established local and international collaborations aimed at postgraduate students training and producing quality research.