Current position: Professor & Director, Institute for Water Research
Qualifications:
- PhD (Water Resource Science), Rhodes University;
- MSc (Water Resource Science), Rhodes University;
- BSc (Hons) (Zoology), Delta State University (Nigeria)
Email: n.odume@ru.ac.za
Tel: +27 46 622 7693
Research Interest
- Water quality and pollution studies/management, focusing on pollution assessment, monitoring tool development and knowledge uptake by end-users and key stakeholders
- Aquatic ecosystems ecology and resilience, processes, and structure in relation to environmental change
- Aquatic ecosystem services/ecological infrastructure and social-economic dynamics/livelihoods
- Pollutants of emerging concern, e.g. plastics and pharmaceuticals
- Science-policy-practice interface
- Water governance and ethics
- Transdisciplinary scholarship
- Social-ecological systems research
Publications
Current and Previous Postdoctoral Fellows
Current fellows and research topics:
- Dr Fenji Materechera-Mitochi: Equity in the water-agricultural nexus – analysis of the Joint Venture Programme (2023)
- Dr Chenai Murata: Governance and localization of the sustainable development goals in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro (2022)
- Dr Frank Akamagwuna: Urban river ecology and plastic pollution (2021)
Previous fellows and research topics:
- Dr Dennis Choruma: Urban river complexity and the governance challenge of urban river systems (2021)
- Dr Chika Felicitas Nnadozie: Investigation of the occurrences and risk of infection of pathogenic and antibiotic resistant Campylobacter species in selected source waters within the Kowie catchment, Eastern Cape, South Africa (2018)
Current and Previous Postgraduate Students
PhD (Current)-
- Edgar Tumwesigye: Microplastic as vectors of organic chemical contaminants in freshwater systems
- Enahoro K Owewenu: A mechanistic approach to investigating the distribution of and exposure to microplastics in riverine systems
- Mary Chibwe: Source attribution and human health risk assessment of antibiotic resistant Campylobacter species in selected rivers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Miracle Ogagaoghene Osoh: Taxonomic and trait-based approach to investigating Chironomid response to urban pollution in river systems
- Simphiwe Ngilana: Governance and institutional analysis of the equity imperatives of the Joint Ventures Programme in the water-agriculture nexus
PhD (Past)-
- Dr Emmanuel Vellemu: The ecological risk of acid mine drainage in a salinizing landscape
- Dr Notiswa Libala: Social-ecological systems approach to assessing the resilience and vulnerability of Hillslope seep wetland vegetation in relation to grazing in the Tsitsa catchment, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
- Dr Dennis Choruma: Exploring and modelling agricultural land management and climate change on agroecosystem services in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Dr Ovie Augustine Edegbene: Developing macroinvertebrate trait- and taxonomically based approaches for biomonitoring wadeable riverine systems in the Niger Delta, Nigeria
- Dr Pindiwe Ntloko: Developing taxonomic and trait-based approaches for assessing and predicting macroinvertebrate responses to elevated fine sediments in the Tsitsa River and its tributaries, South Africa
- Dr Frank Akamagwuna: Application of macroinvertebrate-based biomonitoring and stable isotopes for assessing the effects of agricultural land-use on river ecosystem structure and function in the Kat River, Eastern Cape, South Africa
MSc (Current)-
- Malaika Lesego Mahlatsi: Analysing the equity dimensions and governance drivers of water insecurity in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Esther Seriki: Mapping key drivers of ecological change and analyzing equity dimensions of ecosystem (dis)services flow in the Kat River Valley Catchment
- Havillah Nnadozie: Microplastics and antibiotic resistant genes and bacteria
- Voice Mlonzi: Analysing the equity dimensions of the water security challenges in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro
- Anelile Dlamini-Gibixego: Longitudinal distribution and retention of macroplastics in relation to sediment accumulation and macroinvertebrate colonisation in riverine systems
MSc (Past)-
- Asanda Chili: The application of a simple decision support system to address water quality contestations in the Vaal Barrage catchment, South Africa (2022 with distinction)
- Frank Akamaguwana: Taxonomic and trait-based responses of Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, Plecoptera and Odonata to sediment stress in the Tsitsa River and its tributaries, Eastern Cape, South Africa. (2017)
- Ntombekhaya Mgaba: Macroinvertebrate and diatom assemblage responses to pollution, with emphasis on salinity, in the Kat River, Eastern Cape, South Africa. (2017)
- Nombongo Unathi Makati: The impact of seasonality on macroinvertebrate assemblage structure in selected rivers within the Tsitsikamma Area, South Africa (2017)
- Ali Andrew: Are macroplastics suitable habitats for macroinvertebrates in riverine systems? (Thesis submitted for examination, July 2023)
- Noleen Tavengwa: Exploring the ethical and equity dimensions of water governance challenges in the Lower section of the Upper Vaal catchment (Results received with distinction, July 2023)
- Nandipha Ngoni: Investigating methods for detecting Campylobacter contamination in Kowie River, Eastern Cape (Results received May 2023)
Funded Research Projects
International projects/grants (Current):
- 2023 – 2025 Future Earth Africa Hub Sustainability Leadership Centre
- National Research Foundation (R13.5 Million)
- Co-principal grant holder
-
- 2021 – 2023 Global change grand challenge – Belmont Forum (SDG Pathfinding)
- Belmont Forum - National Research Foundation (R 697 000)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- 2020 – 2023 African urban complexities and the governance challenge of urban rivers – a systemic-relational enquiry
- Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence (45 973 Euro)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- 2022 – 2024 Cyanobacteria – the missing link in vibriosis dissemination
- Swedish Research Council (613 500 Swedish Krona)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- 2022 – 2023 Innovative water infrastructure management to increase water security for people, economy and agriculture in Southern Africa – (ECWASA)
- Forschungsinstitut für Wasser- und Abfallwirtschaft (20 000 Euro)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- 2020 – 2024 5-year multi-partner project: The African Water Resources Mobility Network (AWaRMN) (https://www.ru.ac.za/intra-africa-awarmn/)
- Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme of the European Union Commission (1.4 Million Euro)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- 2019 -2025 6-year multi-partner project: Africa multiple clusters of excellence hosted by the Rhodes University Africa Study Centre (https://www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de/en/index.html)
- University of Bayreuth (935 000 Euro plus individual research grants)
- Co-Principal Investigator and Academic Coordinator at Rhodes
International projects/grants (Past):
- 2019 – 2021 Leading Integrated Research for Agenda (LIRA) 2030 in Africa: Enhancing urban wetland and river ecosystems health to support environmentally sustainable urban development in selected African cities (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_sBU4IHDhM)
- International Science Council (ISC) and Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) (90 000 Euro)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- June 2020 – March 2021 Leading Integrated Research for Agenda (LIRA) 2030 in Africa: Pathways, contextual and cross-scale dynamics of science-policy-society interactions in transdisciplinary research in African cities (10-Month multi-country project)
- International Science Council and Network of African Science Academies (ISC and NASAC) (20 000 Euro)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- 2020 – March 2021 Leading Integrated Research for Agenda (LIRA) 2030 in Africa: Analysing the contribution of transdisciplinary research to the global sustainability agenda in African cities (10-Month multi-country project)
- International Science Council and Network of African Science Academies (ISC and NASAC) (20 000 Euro)
- Co-Principal Investigator
-
- 2017 – 2020 4-year multi-partner project on an Action Group on integrated Water Resource Management and Ethics (https://afrialliance.org/action-groups)
- Africa-EU Innovation for Water and Climate Change (15 500 Euro)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- Mar. 2018 Project on training on Environmental Water Requirement Monitoring (EWR): Lesotho High Land Development Authority
- Lesotho High land Development Authority (R 282 447)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- Jan. 2016 – Dec. 2016 An investigation on the potential use of macroinvertebrate trait-based approach in the sustainable management of riverine systems within an urbanized catchment, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
- Carnegie-RISE (Regional Initiative in Science and Education) (5 000 USD)
- Co-investigator
-
- Jan. 2016 – Dec. 2016 The development of bio-assessment protocols for Nigerian streams by refining and modifying the South African Scoring System (SASS).
- Carnegie-RISE (Regional Initiative in Science and Education) (5 000 USD)
- Co-investigator
Local projects/grants (Current):
- 2023 -2026 Governance and institutional arrangement for accelerating equity in the water-land agricultural nexus – A case study of resource poor farmers/emerging farmer in smallholder irrigation schemes in the Lower Sundays River (Barkley Bridge) and Great Fish River (Tyhefu) catchments.
- Water Research Commission (R 1 800 000)
- Principal Investigator
-
- 2023 – 2026 Equity dimensions of the Nelson Mandela Bay water crisis and the implementing context as enabler or barrier for uptake of translatable lessons from the Cape Town water crisis
- Water Research Commission (R 1 800 000)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- 2022 – 2024 Developing long and short-terms technical solutions, mitigation measures and decision support strategies that will improve water quality in the Grootdraai dam catchment
- Water Research Commission (R 2 000 000)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- 2020- 2024 Community of Practice (CoP) in Multi-and Transdiciplinary dynamics (Social learning and sustainable development)
- National Research Foundation (R 7 000 000 000)
- Co-investigator
-
- 2022 – 2023 Water quality modelling and scenario analysis of the Leeuspruit River in support of the G4 closure process of Sigma Colliery, Sasolburg
- Sasol (R 594 237)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- 2020 -2023 Revision of the 1996 South African Water Quality Guidelines: Development of risk-based approach using aquatic ecosystems responses
- Water Research Commission (R 2 000 000)
- Researcher (collaborator)
-
- 2019 – 2023 Investigation of the occurrence and risk of infection of pathogenic and antibiotic resistant Campylobacter species in selected waters within the Kowie catchment, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
- Water Research Commission (R 1450 000)
- Co-investigator
Local projects/grants (Past):
- 2019 – 2022 Contributions of an ethically-grounded and value-based approach to water governance in South Africa – the case of two contrasting catchments
- Water Research Commission (R 1 200 000)
- Principal Grant holder
-
- 2019 – 2022 Microplastics as emerging contaminants: methods development, ecotoxicity testing and risk assessment towards freshwater resource protection in South Africa
- Water Research Commission (R 1 500 000)
- Principal Grant holder/PI
-
- 2019 – 2020 Case study for linking water quality license conditions with resource quality objectives for the Leeu-Taaiboschspruit industrial complex situated within the Vaal Barrage catchment
- Water Research Commission (R 1 500 000)
- Principal Grant holder/PI
-
- Nov. 2015 – Jan. 2018 The development of macroinvertebrate trait-based approach for assessing and managing ecosystem health in South African Rivers – incorporating a case study in the Tsitsa River and its tributaries, Eastern Cape.
- Water Research Commission (R 1 035 500)
- Principal Grant holder/PI
-
- Apr. 2014 – Mar. 2016 The role of environmental ethics in social-ecological systems and water resource management.
- Water Research Commission (R 700 000)
- Co-principal investigator
-
- Jan – Sept. 2017 Scoping study: development of an inclusive Terms of Reference to undertake a case study of the lower section of the Upper Vaal catchment (Vaal Barrage area) to identify ways to improve water resource management through linking SDC and RDM
- Water Research Commission (R100 000)
- Principal Grant holder/PI
-
- Jan. 2014 – Dec. 2015 Towards ecosystem functional and structural assessment for better decision making to enhance the delivery of ecosystem goods and services
- National Research Foundation (R450 000)
- Principal Grant holder/PI
-
- Apr. 2015 – 2018 Development and benchmarking of a decision support for aquatic toxicity testing: technology transfer and implementation of the toxicity testing guideline/technology
- Water Research Commission (R 2 000 000)
- Collaborator
-
- Jan – Dec. 2014 The role of energy and ESKOM in a new paradigm for water resources management in South Africa
- ESKOM (TESP) (R100 000)
- Principal Grant holder/PI
-
- Jan 2017 – Dec 2020 Implementing and testing a decision support-technical system for evaluating effluent effects on, and protecting receiving water resources in South Africa
- ESKOM (TESP) (R 200 000)
- Principal Grant holder/PI
-
- 2016 – 2020 Anchored funding from Unilever South Africa
- Unilever SA (R 4 million)
- UCEWQ Director
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Professional Leadership and Recognition
- Chairperson, Society for Freshwater Science Africa chapter (Current)
- Research Fellow Appointment (April 2023 – December 2025) by the INTI International University Malaysia
- Nominee, 2023 USERN (Universal Scientific Education and Research Network) Prize
- Editor, Journal of Aquatic Sciences (2023)
Awards
- The Young Independent Award (2019) by the Independent Media Group
- Bronze Medal Award Recipient (2015) by the Southern African Society of Aquatic Scientists
- Emerging River Professional Award (2014) by the International Rivers Foundation, Australia
- Herald Newspaper Hero of the Day Award (26 Sept 2014) by the Times Media Group
Last Modified: Wed, 16 Aug 2023 11:09:18 SAST
