Q and A

Research for Impact is one of the core strategic themes in SU`s Vision 2020. How does your research relate to that?

I would like to think that my research has some impact on people’s lives. However, impact can be hard to measure, beyond the usual metrics such as the Hirsch index and citation rates. Many people are skeptical of these ways of measuring impact anyway. I have done quite a bit of research on adherence to antiretroviral therapy and have identified several of the barriers to adherence. I’ve also collaborated on a study to test a psychological treatment to reduce depression and enhance adherence. I am hopeful that the study results will influence HIV care so that more people who have a mental health condition can be optimally adherent to their antiretroviral medication. This will reduce the risk of opportunistic infections, improve health and well-being, and decrease mortality due to AIDS.

Please give us your impression of the role that research and innovation can play in the betterment of society?

We need to have a scientifically minded citizenry, a citizenry that is appropriately skeptical in the context of claims to truth, a citizenry that demands evidence before believing something that someone in authority says. Research can help with this and the Covid-19 pandemic is a great example. Many more members of the public understand how viruses work, how they are spread, how vaccines work, how to mitigate risk of infection. This knowledge is good and the demand for evidence is a positive thing. It is good for people to become science-minded, which helps to protect against superstition, fake news, hoaxes, and unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.

What would you regard as the most important aspects to consider to effectively support researchers?

We have a very strong research office at Stellenbosch University. My colleagues and I are very grateful for this. Many researchers whom I have spoken with, including myself, feel supported and encouraged in our work by our colleagues in the Division for Research Development. We receive information about grant opportunities, research visits, training opportunities, how to apply for an NRF rating, the importance of avoiding predatory journals, and other important aspects of research. The DRD staff are excellent, dedicated, committed, and extremely knowledgeable. They are also very nice people! I think researchers need to continue to keep abreast of new developments, not only in their fields of research, but also in research methods and the DRD creates opportunities for this kind of professional development.

What do you enjoy most about your job and what are the aspects that you find challenging?

There’s a certain excitement in learning new things. For example, when data come in and I run the analysis, I must confess I sometimes get something of a thrill just before I see the study results. I hope that doesn’t make me too much of a nerd! I also enjoy working with groups, consisting of students and colleagues. I have made good friends among my colleagues and former students, so relationships are really very important when one is a researcher. Then every so often there are opportunities to attend conferences and meet colleagues who are doing similar work, which is quite rewarding. I am usually very pleased when I receive an email from a journal editor to say that my paper has been accepted. Having said that, “revise and resubmit” is the story of my life. Usually, after I submit a paper I forget about it and work on other projects. Then three months later I receive a letter saying that I need to make changes and do a rewrite of the paper. What a pain! It is a challenge to get back into it again, but of course there is no choice but to get on with it. Getting rejected by a journal or a grant-making agency is always a challenge, but one can use these rejections as learning opportunities, especially when the reviewers make constructive comments.

What is the biggest piece of advice that you would give early-career researchers?

Write every day and keep at it constantly. Don’t get defeated by writer’s block or other demands on your time. As busy as you are with teaching, administration, and family commitments, make the time to keep plugging away at your writing. It is easy to say “I’m too busy” but everyone is busy. Find some time each day to write, perhaps as little as a half a page even. By the end of the month, you will have fifteen pages, which is much better than having no pages! Also read widely, attend conferences, be part of research teams. And deliver what you promised to deliver so you can develop a reputation as someone who is reliable and competent. You don’t have to be brilliant, but you can be hard working and display competence. I think people value those attributes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the way we work. What, from your point of view, is the most pertinent change and how will this affect your work in the future?

We don’t have to travel to attend meetings. We have shown we can use Zoom and MS Teams and we can get quite a lot done at home, so we can save on travelling time and costs. Driving to meetings will probably never go away completely because it is sometimes important to be in the same room as colleagues. But we have shown we can get quite a lot done online.

What do you do for fun (apart from research!)

I walk in the mountains, I cycle (7 Cape Town cycle tours so far), I hang out with my friends and family. I have also written two novels.