NUST appoints Prof Zephaniah Dhlamini acting Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Business Development

NUST appoints Prof Zephaniah Dhlamini acting Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Business Development
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The National University of Science and Technology (NUST) has appointed Prof Zephaniah Dhlamini as acting Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Business Development (IBD), with immediate effect, the university has said.

In a statement, NUST said the appointment is intended to ensure continuity in leadership and to advance the university’s innovation and business development initiatives.

Before taking up the acting Pro-Vice Chancellor role, Prof Dhlamini served as an associate professor and director of NUST’s Applied Genetics Testing Centre (AGTC), where he has been based as head of the unit.

NUST described Prof Dhlamini as a biotechnology researcher and academic leader with close to 30 years’ experience in molecular genetics, agricultural biotechnology, biosafety and forensic DNA analysis. The institution said his career has spanned academia, government advisory work and international organisations, and that he has progressed through roles including lecturer, senior lecturer and department chair.

“His leadership has been instrumental in establishing and running Zimbabwe’s first DNA testing laboratory on a commercial basis, while spearheading research projects in forensic DNA analysis, bioprospecting metagenomes for novel biocatalysts and metabolic engineering of sorghum,” NUST said.

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Between 2018 and 2025, Prof Dhlamini served as a board member and chairman of the Technical Committee of the National Biotechnology Authority of Zimbabwe, according to the statement.

Internationally, NUST said he held positions with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in Rome and the Joint FAO/IAEA Division in Vienna. His work included designing biosafety training programmes, evaluating research projects, co-authoring the FAO Biosafety Resource Book, and contributing to the development of FAO’s BioDeC database, which catalogues biotechnology adoption in developing countries.

NUST said Prof Dhlamini has combined scientific research with project management and policy evaluation skills, and has been involved in work that links research to practical application, including forensic DNA services and agricultural biotechnology projects related to food security.

On his academic background, NUST said Prof Dhlamini holds a BSc Honours Degree in Agriculture (Crop Science) and an MSc in Biotechnology (with distinction) from the University of Zimbabwe. He is currently studying towards a PhD in Biotechnology at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, specialising in forensic DNA. The university added that he also holds certificates in areas including project cycle management, policy evaluation, metagenomics and forensic DNA analysis.

The appointment comes as Zimbabwe’s universities continue to position research, innovation and technology transfer as key drivers of industrial development—issues that also matter to communities in Mashonaland Central where education, skills development and agritech solutions are increasingly linked to employment and local enterprise growth.

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