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The University of Pretoria (UP) is a seven-campus public university with its largest campus in the heart of Hatfield, the picturesque diplomatic hub of South Africa's capital city. We're proud to stand among the world's leading research universities.
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‘Endgame’ youth cigarette sale ban could prevent 10,000 lung cancer deaths in SA over 70 years – UP researcher
A University of Pretoria professor is part of a global team whose new research estimates that 10,000 lives could be saved in SA alone if the government implement the ‘endgame strategy’. 24 Oct 2024 Read more

Tuks Camerata nominated for 2024 South African Music Award
University of Pretoria (UP) choir Tuks Camerata receives a nomination from the South African Music Awards (SAMA) for its latest album, uJehova, in the category Best Traditional Faith Music Album. 22 Oct 2024 Read more

New VC gives a vision for the future of UP
The University of Pretoria welcomed its new vice-chancellor and principal, Professor Francis Petersen, in a special event attended by senior management. In his address, Prof Petersen outlined his vision for UP, focusing on academic excellence, societal impact, and a people-centric approach. 16 Oct 2024 Read more

‘UP Beetle’: The heritage behind the car that’s generating renewed nostalgia – and online buzz
Find out how you can win this one-of-a-kind 1967 piece of South African history while supporting students in need. 19 Sep 2024 Read more

#UPGivingMatters: Stand a chance to win an iconic ‘one-of-a-kind’ 1967 VW Beetle with a proud UP history
The University of Pretoria (UP) is raffling off a classic 1967 Beetle as part of its Giving Matters Campaign, which raises money to help students in need of financial aid. 20 Aug 2024 Read more

Africa's understudied human gut microbiomes could be a rich source of therapeutics
Africa's overlooked, understudied microbiomes have huge potential for microbially derived therapeutics, and possibly even new antibiotics. Before the continent can tap into these possibilities, however, a vast amount of research needs to be done to close the knowledge deficit. 28 Jun 2023 Read more

'The best is yet to come for Africa' - UP Africa Week 2023 concludes
The University of Pretoria's (UP) annual Africa Week scientific leadership summit concluded with an outlining of the priorities that need to be pursued to advance Open Science on the continent. Open Science is a global movement to make information about scientific research easily accessible at all levels of society. 8 Jun 2023 Read more

Just how supportive is your manager towards your family needs?
The Covid-19 pandemic made remote working necessary, and forced organisations to be agile. Three years after the first lockdowns, 'normal' work routines have resumed - but organisations have now also adopted a hybrid work model to maintain, motivate, and boost employee performance without losing flexibility and autonomy. 2 Jun 2023 Read more

UP celebrates the 2023 SAICA ITC results
The University of Pretoria (UP) achieved a 100% pass rate in the 2023 South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) Initial Test of Competence (ITC). 18 Apr 2023 Read more

Customised cochlear model pursues hi-fi hearing
When hearing aids are not enough, cochlear implants are the next step to alleviate hearing loss. But they are not for everyone. A transdisciplinary research team aims to customise each device and enhance the benefit for users of these devices. 2 Mar 2023 Read more

UP microbiologists discover rich diversity of life in Antarctica's cold, dry soils
The ice-free areas of Antarctica were initially thought to be devoid of life, but with the advent of modern genetic technologies, scientists now know that microorganisms have adapted to living in this extreme environment. 28 Feb 2023 Read more

UP Pre-University Academy, Hong Kong Polytechnic University teach drone coding to Mamelodi learners
The University of Pretoria's (UP) Pre-University Academy (PUA) has been collaborating with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU) to teach learners from Mamelodi, Pretoria, how to code drones. 14 Feb 2023 Read more

UP-led study finds aloe plant could impede life cycle of malaria-carrying parasite
Experts at the University of Pretoria (UP) are a step closer to finding a drug that could prevent transmission of the malaria-carrying parasite Plasmodium falciparum by thwarting its life cycle. 14 Feb 2023 Read more

UP-PUA applications 2023
The University of Pretoria Pre-University Academy (UP-PUA) is a Senate-approved programme which will operate from the Groenkloof, Mamelodi and Hatfield Campuses and the Veterinary Science Campus in 2023. The programme's main aim is to (i) prepare learners to qualify for tertiary studies by equipping them with a conceptual understanding of Science, and Mathematics concepts, enhancing mathematical and scientific skills and developing inter and intrapersonal skills; and (ii) prepare learners to succeed and thrive in their university studies. 19 Dec 2022 Read more

UP part of study that finds men of African descent at higher risk of prostate cancer
Two pioneering studies published in Nature and Genome Medicine recently identified genetic signatures explaining ethnic differences in the severity of prostate cancer, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. 16 Nov 2022 Read more

Breast cancer awareness in the genomic landscape
Researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) are making today matter by battling aggressive breast cancer through identifying genes that make African women more susceptible to certain forms of breast cancer. However, this is no easy task as very little genomic information is known about African populations. This is just one of UP's research projects that aim to ensure that there is a clear benefit for society, and that in the future many more lives could be saved from the scourge of cancer. 18 Oct 2022 Read more

Renewing our thinking about renewable energy
Nature has solved many of the problems that humankind is now facing, including offering renewable energy options. Using nature as their guide, a biophysics research group at the University of Pretoria (UP) investigated the inner workings of chloroplasts - and came back energised. 12 Sep 2022 Read more

Support for rural farmers
South Africa has a dual agricultural economy, with an established commercial farming industry and an emerging small-scale farming sector. Most small-scale farmers are based on communal lands under tribal authority, or the former homeland areas. As owners of a significant number of livestock including cattle, sheep and goats, they play an important role in contributing to food security, employment, and poverty alleviation. 30 Aug 2022 Read more

New course equips researchers to communicate their work to the public
Amid intense competition for funding and pressure to make their research more accessible to the public, researchers around the world, including South Africa, are sharpening their communication skills. Their aim is to communicate their findings to public audiences while maintaining the integrity of their work. Such skills are essential, given the changes sweeping the media: downsizing means that few media houses have journalists with the time to make complicated, jargon-heavy academic content more accessible to their readers or viewers. 20 Jul 2022 Read more

9 UP academics nominated for NSTF/South32 Awards, SA's 'Science Oscars'
Nine eminent University of Pretoria (UP) academics and researchers have been named as finalists in the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)/South32 Awards. 12 Jul 2022 Read more

Attending a top South African university can set graduates up for the future
Graduates who received their degrees at the University of Pretoria's (UP) recent autumn graduation ceremonies are among the 12% of students in South Africa who have gained access to higher education over the past decade. 6 Jun 2022 Read more

UP-led behavioural study explores patterns of compliance to Covid-19 regulations
A study led by researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) has found that people who believe that others are complying with Covid-19 regulations are more likely to comply as well. 1 Apr 2022 Read more

Human, animal transmission
A team of scientists from the University of Pretoria (UP) has published the only study from Africa that entailed genomic One Health investigations which reveal that Delta variants of Covid-19 were transmitted from humans to animals. 7 Mar 2022 Read more

Research Matters: A world of answers opens up on UP's new science communication platform
The University of Pretoria (UP) is launching its Research Matters science communication platform to help increase the flow of scientific knowledge and fight misinformation in South Africa, across Africa, and around the world. 3 Dec 2021 Read more

Two UP academics feature on prestigious Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers List 2021
The University of Pretoria (UP) is pleased to announce that academics professors Mike Wingfield and Rangan Gupta have been named on the annual Highly Cited Researchers™ 2021 list from Clarivate. 22 Nov 2021 Read more

Why UP researchers like rooibos, Nguni cows and 50 000-piece microbial puzzles
Professor Thulani Makhalanyane and Professor Emma Archer say that life found only in Africa, from invisibly tiny microbes to huge mammal herds and our kaleidoscope of plants, can give us medicines, technologies and ways to manage climate change. 20 Aug 2021 Read more

UP launches LeadUP Podcast with prominent alumni sharing leadership lessons
The University of Pretoria's (UP) Alumni Relations Office is set to launch its LeadUP Podcast series, in which alumni and friends of the University will share their stories and leadership lessons. 27 Jul 2021 Read more

Stevie the robot joins intensive-care team at UP Faculty of Health Sciences and Steve Biko Academic Hospital
The Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria (UP) and Steve Biko Academic Hospital have welcomed Stevie, a mobile robot that will help improve the treatment of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be done through instant live discussion and communication daily between German and South African intensive-care unit (ICU) teams. 5 Jul 2021 Read more

Reimagining Universities
Civilisations the world over have faced all sorts of disruptions. What is critical is how we respond to them. Do they drive us to extinction, or do we find a way forward? 9 Jun 2021 Read more

'The future of the world hinges on the future of Africa' - Vice-Chancellor and Principal Prof Tawana Kupe speaks out on Africa Day
Today marks Africa Day and 58 years since the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was born. As the precursor to the African Union (AU), which formed in 1963, the day is an opportunity to remember and pay tribute to those who were dedicated to their cause - the liberation from colonial oppression; the economic and political integration of Africa; the restoration of dignity for every African man, woman and child. It is a day on which to celebrate our diversity and heritage and share dances, songs and traditional dress from across the continent. 25 May 2021 Read more

The dark side of the hive
Prof Robin Crewe is the co-author of Dark Side of the Hive, a book that forces us to re-examine everything we thought we knew about honey bees. 17 May 2021 Read more