As part of the Women of DUT series, Senior Lecturer in the English and Communications programme within the Faculty of Arts and Design at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), Dr Ursula Saba Vooght reflects on her academic journey, the importance of being a positive role model to students and the experiences that have shaped her as an academic.
Dr Vooght believes Women’s Month should be more than a time for celebration. It should also provide an opportunity to recognise women’s strength and capacity, acknowledge the systemic challenges they continue to face and create space for meaningful change.
“I would hope that Women’s Month is not a time for pink butterflies and glasses of bubbly, but a time to acknowledge women’s strength and capacity, as well as their continued systemic oppression, and, hopefully, to plant and nurture the seeds of change,” she said.
Her own career journey has taken several turns. Dr Vooght initially studied Fine Art and English, disciplines she loved, before moving into business communication. She spent more than a decade working in corporate and local government roles in the United Kingdom while continuing her studies and completing a Master’s degree in Cultural and Critical Studies.
After returning to South Africa, she joined DUT’s English and Communications programme, where her experience in business communication and the arts came together.
Her research focuses on adaptation studies, an interdisciplinary field that explores how texts change and evolve through adaptation. She particularly enjoys exploring the crossover between written language and the visual and performing arts.
This connection between creativity, research and teaching is also reflected in how she approaches her role as an academic.
“Young people are our future and while the chance to shape them may be limited, being a good role model is important. My research into adaptation also speaks to human creativity and imagination, which is so important in building a humane and sustainable world,” she said.
Her own academic journey has not always been easy. Completing her PhD in Media and Cultural Studies presented a number of challenges, including changes in supervisors, examiner withdrawals and delays relating to her registration.
“I had supervisor churn with five supervisors in my first year. I had examiners dropping out and even dying, and then right at the end there was another massive delay as I hadn’t been registered properly right at the start,” she shared.
Despite these setbacks, the experience strengthened her ability to support students navigating their own academic journeys.
“I do feel it has made me better able to support my students as a supervisor, because I know and can anticipate what might go wrong. I also received challenging feedback along the way, which was tough but ultimately strengthened my PhD enough for it to become a published book, which I’m very proud of,” she said.
Dr Vooght continues to balance teaching, research and wider university responsibilities, including participation in research and conference committees and various university projects.
“I hope that my research will contribute to a better understanding of the world and play a role in developing what we offer to students. I also participate in many university activities, such as research and conference committees and projects. These all intertwine in the three-dimensional fabric of university functioning,” she said.
She hopes her contribution at DUT will be remembered not only through her academic work, but also through the relationships she has built along the way.
Her career has taken her through a number of different roles, including illustrator, project coordinator, lecturer, marketing executive and internal communications manager. Rather than viewing these experiences as separate from her current career, she sees each one as having contributed to her growth.
Her advice to young women is therefore to remain open to opportunities and not be afraid to try something different.
“It may not be the job you thought you wanted, but whatever job you do, you are going to learn skills and gain experience. I have been an illustrator, a project coordinator, a lecturer, a marketing executive, an internal communications manager – no experience has been wasted. When in a job you can work toward being where you really want to be,” she advised.
Through her teaching, research and engagement with students, Dr Vooght hopes to continue encouraging curiosity, creativity and confidence in the next generation.
Her story is a reminder that careers do not always follow a straight path and that every experience can contribute something valuable to the person one eventually becomes.
Pictured: Dr Ursula Saba Vooght, Senior Lecturer in the English and Communications programme within the Faculty of Arts and Design at DUT.
Waheeda Peters
