Water Security is about making sure we manage water in a sustainable way, especially with climate change, loss of nature, poor governance, and increasing demand. It looks at clean water, fair access, healthy ecosystems, and how water connects to food, energy, and health. This work builds on the university’s long history of water research.

Nanotechnology Innovation leverages Rhodes University’s strengths in chemistry and material science to create tiny but powerful solutions for big challenges in health, energy, water, and the environment. It encourages teamwork across fields and drives innovation that helps society.

Radio Astronomy places the university at the heart of global astrophysics research, especially through South Africa’s involvement in the Square Kilometre Array project. It focuses on space discovery, big data, cutting-edge instruments, and growing talent in science and engineering.

Drugs, Health, and Society looks at how medicines, both modern and traditional, are developed and used, how public health systems work, and how drug use is shaped by society. It brings together science, health, and the humanities to tackle tough health challenges, drawing on the university’s strong research in drug discovery, formulation, and diagnostics. Research Chairs in this theme include Professor Janice Limson, Professor  Özlem Taştan Bishop,  Professor Rosemary Dorrington, and Professor Adrienne Edkins. Their expertise span biotechnology, bioinformatics, marine biology, and molecular medicine.

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Rhodes University drives education for sustainable futures, blending environmental science, sustainability education, and community engagement. Through interdisciplinary research and creative knowledge-sharing, it cultivates learning from early education to university level. This approach empowers society to care, grow, and lead toward a thriving, inclusive, and sustainable future for all.

Environments, Ecologies and Economies explores how nature, economic growth, and social justice are closely connected. It encourages place-based, cross-disciplinary research to tackle issues like biodiversity loss, climate change, and the need for sustainable ways of living. Professor Jen Snowball, Chief Research Strategist at the South African Cultural Observatory (SACO), advances this work through her focus on cultural and environmental economics. With Professor Emeritus Gavin Fraser, she co-leads the Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Focus Group (ENREFA), where graduate researchers study water footprints, sustainability, energy economics, and local development, in collaboration with the African Studies Centre.

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