Thandiwe Sithole

Thandiwe Nastassia Sithole is a South African chemical engineer and academic at the University of Johannesburg. She is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and has served as Vice Dean for Global Engagement in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. Her research focuses on environmental and chemical engineering, particularly the utilisation of industrial waste, circular and green economy approaches, waste valorisation, geopolymer materials, and wastewater treatment methods.

Early life and education Thandiwe Sithole was born in Rabokala near Soshanguve in Pretoria, South Africa. She studied engineering in South Africa and later completed a PhD in Chemical Engineering. She also obtained a postgraduate qualification in higher education.

Academic career She joined the University of Johannesburg in 2016, where she has worked in teaching and administrative roles within the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. She later served as Vice Dean for Global Engagement and has taken part in academic administration and postgraduate supervision.

Awards

National Research Foundation Research Excellence Award for Early Career/Emerging Researchers (2023). Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Award – Most Promising Young Researcher of the Year, University of Johannesburg (2023). Inspiring Fifty – Outstanding Contribution in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). South African Women in Science Award (2024). Sithole, T.; Jobodwana, L.; Magedi, F. (2025). Solidification of Landfill Leachates Using Alkali-Activated Slag. Topics in Catalysis. Sithole, T., 2026. Optimization of cleaner masonry blocks: response surface methodology and genetic algorithm integrated neural networks in the applications of slag and waste sand. Results in Engineering, p.108753. Letsoalo, M. R.; Sithole, T.; Mufamadi, S.; Mazhandu, Z.; Sillanpää, M.; Kaushik, A.; Mashifana, T. (2023). Efficient detection and treatment of pharmaceutical contaminants to produce clean water for better health and environment. Journal of Cleaner Production . Sithole, T. (2023). Elevated Temperature Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag Stabilisation of Desilicated Foundry Sand. Key Engineering Materials. Sithole, T. (2024). Mitigation of Efflorescence and Alkali Leaching in Activated Slag Using Foundry Sand. Key Engineering Materials. Mvita, M.; Sithole, T. (2025). Nanostructured functionalised sewage sludge adsorbent: Optimising wastewater remediation using ANN and RSM. Journal of Nanostructure in Chemistry.