Dr Nicola James is an unassuming, young, female scientist who quietly got on with making every bit of work she put into her post-graduate studies count.
Dr Nicola James is an unassuming, young, female scientist who quietly got on with making every bit of work she put into her post-graduate studies count.
James was recently appointed as an aquatic biologist at SAIAB in Grahamstown and has just been awarded her NRF Y1 rating. This rating is awarded through a rigorous selection process to scientists under the age of 35 years who show the potential to become leaders in their field. In her case this involved referee’s reports being considered by an assessment panel before a decision was reached. Often applicants have to apply a number of times before being awarded a rating. James achieved her rating on her first application.
After receiving her MSc with distinction from the University of Natal, this promising young scientist registered at Rhodes University in for her PhD under the supervision of Prof Alan Whitfield and Dr Paul Cowley. Her field of study is global change in the coastal zone, specifically climate change and its effects on estuaries.
In acknowledging her achievement at a special tea at SAIAB, Whitfield, himself an NRF A-rated scientist, congratulated her and emphasised that the award carries certain expectations, most notably you become a leader in your respective field. Climate change is a major challenge for the future and currently there is little, if any, other research in South Africa that focuses specifically on estuaries as indicators of climate change. With growing interaction with researchers around the world who are investigating climate change, James is already something of a leader in this field.
Asked what advice she would give young scientists who want to become rated, James referred to the advice she received from her MSc supervisor Associate Professor Lynnath Beckley – publish or perish. From an early stage James published all the papers she could from her MSc and PhD theses in as many of the top scientific journals as possible. This gave the referees a substantial body of published work to refer to in considering her application.
SAIAB is immensely proud of its standing in the scientific community. Since its earliest days SAIAB has produced NRF rated scientists. All its retired scientists were rated at the time of their retirement and two thirds or 66% of SAIAB’s current, fulltime scientists are NRF rated. Three of these are Y-rated young scientists with a bright future ahead of them. There are approximately 150 Y-rated scientists in the natural sciences in South Africa which puts them in esteemed company.
