DUT Adaptive Graduate, Matshidiso Lephalala was conferred with a Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Chemistry during the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Spring Graduation on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, after overcoming financial uncertainty during the course of her studies.
The chemist who hails from Limpopo, holds a deep passion for her profession, and has built her research career around it, with particular interest in using science, computational approaches, and innovative research methods to address real-word environmental and health challenges.
Having begun her journey at DUT more than a decade ago at undergraduate level , the 30 year old’s trajectory is an amazing testament of the harmonious and dynamic environment at DUT that cultivates a culture of academic excellence for students from all walks of life.
“Completing my PhD is a moment of immense joy, pride and gratitude. It is difficult to put into words what this achievement means much more than receiving a qualification. It is a reminder that difficult circumstances do not have to determine the outcome of your journey. There were moments when the path was uncertain, but I continued to believe in the importance of my work and my ability to complete it. I am extremely proud to reach this milestone at the age of 30,” said Lephalala.
Her passion gave birth to her PhD thesis, “Integrated QSAR Models and Machine Learning For Understanding The Effects of Sanitizers and Disinfectants on Aquatic Organisms.”
“I was inspired to pursue this area because of my interest in understanding how chemicals interact with biological systems and the environment. Sanitizers and disinfectants are important for protecting human health, but their ingredients can ultimately enter aquatic environments and potentially affect non-target organisms. I wanted to explore these effects. What particularly interested me was the opportunity to bring together chemistry, QSAR modelling, machine learning and molecular-level computational techniques to address an environmental problem,” stated Lephalala.
Despite reaching a height most of the student populous dream of reaching, DUT’s newest adaptive PhD graduate, noted that this achievement never came cheaply.
“One of the biggest challenges I faced during my PhD was securing stable funding. Financial uncertainty can be particularly challenging during a long research journey because it creates additional pressure while you are trying to remain focused on your academic work. However, I remained determined to complete my studies and continued looking for ways to secure the necessary support. Eventually, I was able to secure stable funding that enabled me to complete my PhD,” added Lephalala.
Looking ahead, Lephalala hopes to build a career as an internationally competitive researcher, working at the intersection of computational science, chemistry, and biomedical research.
These interests and desires extend beyond a theoretical understanding but a desire to apply her skills to challenges in human health, including cancer, infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and other diseases where there is a need for new therapeutic strategies.
The emerging researcher’s message to PhD students remains simple: maintain self belief and remain committed despite the challenges.
“My advice to students is to believe in themselves and remain committed to their goals, even when the journey becomes difficult. A PhD is not only a test of academic ability. It also requires perseverance, discipline, patience, and resilience. There will be setbacks, unexpected results and moments when progress feels slow. Those moments are part of the research journey and should not be viewed as a reason to give up. I would encourage students to remain curious, ask questions, seek guidance, learn from constructive criticism and continuously improve themselves,” concluded Lephalala.
With her next academic and career goals mapped out, Lephalala’s journey demonstrates that financial challenges are not a barrier for continuous learning.
Photo: Sifundo Thwala
Pictured: Matshidiso Lephalala
Sompisi Ntuli
