Student & Graduate Milestones

South Africa

University of KwaZulu-Natal Success Stories

Inspiring real-life stories of students from University of KwaZulu-Natal winning top scholarships, earning degrees against the odds, and taking the next big step in their careers.

Stories Published

UKZN Laureate Directory

11 Profiles Catalogued

11 Profiles

UKZN Alumna Tariq Al-Sayed Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for Breakthrough Diagnostics Work

Alumna Milestone

UKZN Alumna Tariq Al-Sayed Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for Breakthrough Diagnostics Work

Tariq Al-Sayed• Research Scientist

Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science & Healthcare

Faculty of Law and Public Governance·Class of 2025

Placement: National Institute for Advanced Medical Research

Tariq Al-Sayed, a University of KwaZulu-Natal science graduate, has been recognised on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for developing a portable rapid diagnostics platform.

University of KwaZulu-NatalFull Profile

UKZN Graduate Nkechi Eze Awarded Global Fellowship for Cancer Genomics Research

Graduate Milestone

UKZN Graduate Nkechi Eze Awarded Global Fellowship for Cancer Genomics Research

Nkechi Eze• Doctoral Researcher

Selected for Prestigious International Doctoral Fellowship

School of Business & Entrepreneurship·Class of 2022

Placement: Leading Global Research Institute

University of KwaZulu-Natal graduate Nkechi Eze has been named an international fellow to pursue advanced oncology diagnostics and translational genomics research.

University of KwaZulu-NatalFull Profile

UKZN PhD Student Rajesh Sundaram Publishes First-Author Paper in Nature Communications

Student Milestone

UKZN PhD Student Rajesh Sundaram Publishes First-Author Paper in Nature Communications

Rajesh Sundaram• PhD Candidate

Published first-author paper in Nature Communications as PhD student

Department of Media, Communications & Journalism·Class of 2025

Placement: International Research Consortium

Rajesh Sundaram, a second-year PhD student at University of KwaZulu-Natal, has achieved the rare distinction of publishing as lead author in Nature Communications.

University of KwaZulu-NatalFull Profile

University of KwaZulu-Natal Researcher Mei-Ling Wang Appointed to National Academy Young Researcher Fellowship

Researcher Milestone

University of KwaZulu-Natal Researcher Mei-Ling Wang Appointed to National Academy Young Researcher Fellowship

Mei-Ling Wang• Postdoctoral Fellow

Appointed to Prestigious National Academy Young Researcher Fellowship

Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering·Class of 2022

Placement: National Academy of Sciences & Innovation

Mei-Ling Wang from University of KwaZulu-Natal has been appointed to the National Academy's competitive Young Researcher Fellowship programme.

University of KwaZulu-NatalFull Profile

UKZN Alumnus Lucas Dubois Raises $12M for Clean Tech Climate Analytics Startup

Alumnus Milestone

UKZN Alumnus Lucas Dubois Raises $12M for Clean Tech Climate Analytics Startup

Lucas Dubois• Alumnus & Co-Founder

Closed $12M Series A Financing for Environmental Sensing Startup

Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science·Class of 2023

Placement: CleanTech Ventures & Enterprise Incubator

Founded out of the university innovation incubator, Lucas Dubois's startup is utilizing high-resolution satellite remote sensing to monitor industrial emissions.

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UKZN Masters Graduate Kwame Asante Wins National Thesis Award for Climate Research

Graduate Milestone

UKZN Masters Graduate Kwame Asante Wins National Thesis Award for Climate Research

Kwame Asante• Masters Graduate

Winner of National Graduate Thesis Award in Environmental Science

Faculty of Physics and Astronomy·Class of 2023

Placement: Government Ministry of Environment & Sustainable Development

Kwame Asante's Masters thesis on coastal erosion modeling and climate adaptation policy has won the National Graduate Thesis Award in Environmental Science.

University of KwaZulu-NatalFull Profile

Fatima Al-Mansoor and UKZN Engineering Team Win First Place at International Aerospace Challenge

Student Milestone

Fatima Al-Mansoor and UKZN Engineering Team Win First Place at International Aerospace Challenge

Fatima Al-Mansoor• Undergraduate Team Lead

1st Place Winner at International Aerospace Design Competition

School of Biomedical Sciences & Molecular Medicine·Class of 2024

Placement: Advanced Aerospace & Robotics Consortium

Undergraduate team led by Fatima Al-Mansoor takes top honours for developing an autonomous high-altitude atmospheric sampling drone.

University of KwaZulu-NatalFull Profile

UKZN Alumnus Benjamin Meyer Raises $12M for Climate Analytics Technology Startup

Alumnus Milestone

UKZN Alumnus Benjamin Meyer Raises $12M for Climate Analytics Technology Startup

Benjamin Meyer• Alumnus & Co-Founder

Closed $12M Series A Financing for Environmental Sensing Startup

Department of Media, Communications & Journalism·Class of 2023

Placement: CleanTech Ventures & Enterprise Incubator

Founded out of the university innovation incubator, Benjamin Meyer's startup uses satellite remote sensing to monitor industrial emissions.

University of KwaZulu-NatalFull Profile

UKZN Alumnus Isabelle Leclerc Builds EdTech Platform Reaching Over 500,000 Students Worldwide

Alumnus Milestone

UKZN Alumnus Isabelle Leclerc Builds EdTech Platform Reaching Over 500,000 Students Worldwide

Isabelle Leclerc• Social Entrepreneur & Founder

Founded award-winning EdTech platform reaching 500,000 students

School of Business & Entrepreneurship·Class of 2024

Placement: Global EdTech Foundation & Social Enterprise Hub

Inspired by their student experience at University of KwaZulu-Natal, Isabelle Leclerc has founded an educational technology platform delivering quality academic content to underserved communities.

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UKZN Graduate Priya Sharma Awarded Global Fellowship for Cancer Genomics Research

Graduate Milestone

UKZN Graduate Priya Sharma Awarded Global Fellowship for Cancer Genomics Research

Priya Sharma• Doctoral Researcher

Selected for Prestigious International Doctoral Fellowship

School of Architecture and Urban Systems·Class of 2022

Placement: Leading Global Research Institute

University of KwaZulu-Natal graduate Priya Sharma has been named an international fellow to pursue advanced oncology diagnostics and translational gene therapy.

University of KwaZulu-NatalFull Profile

Ananya Gupta and UKZN Team Win First Place at International Aerospace Engineering Challenge

Student Milestone

Ananya Gupta and UKZN Team Win First Place at International Aerospace Engineering Challenge

Ananya Gupta• Undergraduate Team Lead

1st Place Winner at International Aerospace Design Competition

Department of Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence·Class of 2024

Placement: Advanced Aerospace & Robotics Consortium

Undergraduate team led by Ananya Gupta takes top honours for developing an autonomous high-altitude atmospheric sampling drone system.

University of KwaZulu-NatalFull Profile