NRF Youth Month 2026: Veronica Phetla

The NRF is committed to growing South Africa’s next generation of researchers and science communicators. June is Youth Month, and this year the NRF celebrates the youth whose work contributes to meaningful change in South Africa and beyond. We thank all participants for sharing their stories with us.

Ms Veronica Phetla is a Doctoral student in Life Sciences at the University of South Africa (UNISA) and a Scientist at the South African National Biodiversity Institution (SANBI). She first received support from the NRF in the form of an NRF-NZG studentship. For her Doctoral studies, she is supported by NRF Thuthuka funding.

Tell us about your academic journey

From as early as I can remember, I knew I wanted a career rooted in science—one that had a combination of mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics. That instinct guided every academic decision I made, and looking back, I would not change a single step.

My journey began at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), where I enrolled in a National Diploma in Biotechnology within the Department of Food and Biotechnology. It was during this time that I received academic awards for Fermentation Technology and Immunology, which became early affirmations that I was exactly where I was meant to be.

A highlight of my diploma was a one-year work-integrated learning placement, needed to obtain the qualification, at what was then the NRF-managed National Zoological Gardens (NRF-NZG), where I assisted scientists on live research projects. My very first project involved reptiles and the detection of pathogen-related diseases. This was indeed an experience that lit the science fire in me. I immersed myself in molecular biology techniques: pipetting, preparing laboratory reagents, operating PCR machines, genetic analysers, gel electrophoresis equipment, and measuring DNA concentrations. These were the building blocks of the scientist I was becoming in the disease diagnostics space.

I continued at TUT to complete my BTech in Biotechnology. This level marked my first truly independent research experience through a South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (NRF-SAASTA) internship, where I investigated the detection of Toxoplasma gondii in lemurs. This was a project on toxoplasmosis that sharpened my research thinking and led to the completion of my first dissertation.

Wanting to broaden my scientific scope, I then pursued a Magister Technologiae in Water Care in TUT’s Department of Environmental, Water and Earth Sciences. As a full-time student, I conducted research in the Limpopo region, focusing on the detection of Vibrio cholerae, which is the causative agent of cholera in wastewater, sludge, river water, and riverbed sediment. This work culminated in a publication in the Journal of Environmental Microbiology (2021), a milestone I am deeply proud of.

Today, I am pursuing a PhD in Life Sciences in the Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, exploring flies and their role as vectors of bacterial pathogens in South Africa. This work has already yielded a publication in the Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Science (2026). Beyond the laboratory and the written page, I have always envisioned myself on large platforms to disseminate knowledge to scientific communities. That vision is becoming reality: I was awarded 3rd Best First-Time Oral Presentation at the PARSA Conference (2024); 3rd Place Best Poster Presentation at the 7th Annual International Public Health Conference (2025); and 2nd Place Best Oral Presentation at the Bio26 Congress (2026).

This is the path I always envisioned for myself—rooted and driven by curiosity, a love for science, and a deep desire to contribute meaningfully to knowledge. I am proud of how far I have come, and more energised than ever about where this journey is taking me.

How has your affiliation with the NRF impacted your studies/career?

My relationship with the National Research Foundation (NRF) spans over a decade and has been nothing short of transformative for both professionally and personally.

My first encounter with NRF support came in 2014 through an NRF-NZG studentship, which enabled me to complete my work-integrated learning placement. This opportunity was foundational. It was my first real immersion in a live scientific research environment, where I worked alongside experienced scientists, developed core molecular biology skills, and encountered the kind of hands-on, inquiry-driven science that I had always dreamed being a part of. Without that studentship, I would not have been able to fulfil the practical requirements of my National Diploma in Biotechnology, which became the gateway through which my scientific career truly began.

Today, I am a recipient of NRF Thuthuka funding, which is supporting my PhD in Life Sciences. Research is expensive, and anyone working in the sciences understands how quickly costs accumulate for reagents, equipment, fieldwork, data analysis, and dissemination—all carry significant financial weight. The Thuthuka funding has made it possible for me to carry my research forward without those constraints becoming barriers. There is still more to be done, and surely these funds will assist me in completing some of the objectives. Once the generation of data has been completed, I will be able to continue to present and disseminate the remaining findings to the broader scientific and public community.

The impact of this funding extends well beyond my personal academic progression. My PhD research takes a multidisciplinary, One Health approach through examining the distribution of flies and their role as vectors of bacterial pathogens in South Africa. This work continues to bring together different sectors of entomology, molecular biology, public health, veterinary science, and environmental management.

The NRF’s investment has therefore not only advanced my career but also contributes to a body of knowledge with real-world implications for human, animal, and environmental health. I am deeply grateful for the NRF’s continued belief in my research work. It continues to support my journey. Who would have ever thought one would move from a young diploma student finding her footing in a research laboratory, to a PhD candidate on the verge of contributing new scientific insights to multiple sectors of society?

What is your research focus or area of expertise?

My current research sits at a fascinating and critically important intersection of entomology, microbiology, public health, and veterinary science. At its core, my PhD investigates the diversity of filth flies in South Africa and their role as mechanical vectors of bacterial pathogens with a particular focus on ESKAPE pathogens within a One Health framework.

Filth flies and related species are among the most widespread insects in the world. They thrive where humans, animals, and waste intersect, including farms, abattoirs, hospitals, informal settlements, and municipal waste sites. Their biology makes them highly effective at acquiring, carrying, and spreading microorganisms across environments and host species. Despite this, they remain understudied as disease vectors in South Africa.

My research uses molecular tools, including DNA barcoding, to characterise fly species diversity across the SANBI animal enclosure premises. Alongside this, I investigate the bacterial pathogens these flies carry with a critical emphasis on ESKAPE pathogens. ESKAPE is an acronym representing six of the most clinically dangerous and drug-resistant bacteria in the world. These organisms are responsible for the majority of life-threatening hospital-acquired infections globally and are at the forefront of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis, which is one of the greatest public health emergencies of our time.

The significance of this work cannot be overstated. If Muscidae flies actively transport ESKAPE pathogens between animal reservoirs, waste environments, and human populations, including healthcare settings, then they represent a silent but serious transmission pathway that current infection control strategies may be overlooking entirely. Understanding which fly species are implicated, where they are most prevalent, and which pathogens they carry gives us the intelligence needed to design targeted, evidence-based interventions.

What excites me most about this research is precisely its multidisciplinary reach. It does not live in a single silo; it speaks to anyone concerned with the health of humans, animals, and the environments we share. A fly landing on hospital waste and then on animal food (as the SANBI Zoo is located near a hospital) is not merely an inconvenience, but it may be a vector event with life-threatening consequences. My work is about making that invisible visible, quantifying it, and giving policymakers and practitioners the evidence they need to act.

What purpose drives your research/work, and how do you hope it will contribute to meaningful change?

I have always believed that science without purpose is just information. It is the application of knowledge, the translation of findings into real-world change, that gives research its true meaning. That belief is the heartbeat of everything I do.

The purpose that drives my research is simple but profound: I want to protect lives—both animal and human. Antimicrobial resistance is not a future problem, it is happening now, quietly and relentlessly, in zoos, hospitals, farms, rivers, and waste sites across our country and continent. Investigating Muscidae flies as vectors of ESKAPE pathogens, I am working to illuminate transmission pathways that are currently invisible in our public health and veterinary surveillance systems—and invisibility is concerning.

But purpose, for me, goes beyond the science itself. Growing up with a deep curiosity about the natural world and a hunger to understand how living systems interact, I always envisioned a career where I could stand on platforms – be it scientific, public, and policy – and translate complex findings into actionable knowledge, not only for researchers but also those who are policy decision makers. I did not just want to conduct research; I wanted to communicate it, advocate for it, and ensure it reached the people and institutions best positioned to act on it. That vision has shaped how I approach my work at every level, from the laboratory bench to the conference podium.

I hope my research contributes to meaningful change in several interconnected ways. Firstly, I hope it strengthens the evidence base for fly vector control as a necessary component of antimicrobial resistance strategies in South Africa and the broader African continent, which is a dimension that is currently underrepresented in national AMR action plans. Secondly, I hope it informs policy conversations across sectors: health, agriculture, environmental management, and urban planning, because the One Health principle that underpins my work recognises that human health cannot be separated from animal health or environmental health. These systems are deeply intertwined, and our responses to disease threats must reflect that interconnectedness.

Thirdly, and perhaps most personally, I hope my journey and my work inspire the next generation of African scientists, particularly young, upcoming scientists, to pursue bold, multidisciplinary, solutions-oriented research without apology. Representation in science matters. When young people see themselves reflected in researchers who look like them, who come from where they come from, and who are doing work that speaks to their communities, it expands what they believe is possible for themselves.

Science has given me a voice, a platform, and a purpose. I intend to use all of them fully, fearlessly, and in service of a healthier, more equitable world.

Being a young researcher can be demanding. What keeps you motivated and grounded throughout your journey?

Being a young researcher is one of the most rewarding paths I could have chosen, but I will be honest—it is also one of the most demanding and challenging paths I have ever travelled and continue to travel on. There are long hours in the laboratory; experiments that do not go as planned, deadlines that stack up; funding uncertainties; and moments of self-doubt that no methodology can prepare you for. The journey is not linear, and it is rarely easy. But I keep going, and there are very specific reasons why.

My greatest source of motivation is purpose. When I remember why I do this work, I think about the communities and animals exposed to bacterial pathogens. Purpose is a powerful anchor. On the days when the science is frustrating, I return to the bigger picture, and it reminds me that the work matters far beyond my own academic ambitions.

I am also deeply motivated by curiosity. I have always had an inquisitive mind—one that cannot leave a question unanswered, that finds genuine excitement in uncovering something that was not known before. That curiosity did not switch on when I started my PhD—it has been with me since childhood, and it continues to pull me forward even on the most difficult days.

Recognition has also played a meaningful role in sustaining my momentum, not out of vanity, but because it affirms that the work I am pouring myself into is being seen, valued, and respected by the scientific community. Receiving awards at various conferences has reminded me that I belong in these spaces, that my voice carries weight, and that the research I am doing is making an impression. For a young researcher who sometimes wonders whether she is enough, those moments matter deeply.

And finally, I am grounded by gratitude. I am aware that opportunities like NRF funding, conference platforms, and access to world-class research infrastructure are not available to every young person who deserves them. That awareness does not weigh me down, instead, it lifts me up. It reminds me to show up fully, to give my best, and to use every opportunity I am given to open doors for the young researchers who will come after me.

I am motivated by purpose, driven by curiosity, and sustained by gratitude. That combination has carried me this far, and I trust it to carry me the rest of the way.

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