Meet our 2023 South African Women in Science Awards finalists
Dr Tiisetso Elizabeth Lephoto
Dr Tiisetso Elizabeth Lephoto is the founder of Nematech Pty Ltd. She is currently a microbiology and biotechnology lecturer at Wits University and has three years of postdoctoral research experience. Lephoto completed her PhD in 2015 at the age of 26 at Wits. Recognised as one of the youngest PhD graduates in the field of cell and molecular biology, Dr Lephoto has presented her research in South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the USA, Kenya, Australia and Dubai.
Lephoto is passionate about science, agriculture and innovation. She has expertise in insect pest control and management in farms and agricultural industries. She discovered indigenous microscopic worms that can infect and kill pests within 24 to 48 hours.
She is a multi-award winning, trailblazing scientist with published papers in national and international journals. She has successfully supervised over 30 postgraduate (PhD, MSc and BSc Honours) students in the School of Molecular and Cell Biology at Wits University. Through her Nematech Biosciences Foundation, and with the support of the Department of Science and Innovation, she assists in the mentorship of more 200 graduates.
Dr Lephoto served as an advisory member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions. In 2016, Lephoto was selected as one of 87 women across the world who participated in the TechWomen Emerging Leaders Program in the USA. During the programme, she was professionally mentored as a consultant in the informatics department of Illumina Inc in California. In 2019, she represented Nematech in the Entrepreneurship World Cup, reaching the semi-finals and placing in the top 16. That year, more than 106 000 project pitches entered the competition, and Lephoto's pitch delivery was cited as being excellent and was well received. She completed a metagenomics course in Dubai in 2019 and is currently collaborating with a biotechnology genome sequencing company in Dubai.
Dr Lephoto recently completed her MBA at University of Reading, and she is currently an LLB candidate at Unisa with an aim to specialise in patent law, policy, and contract law.
