Sinoxolo Magaya | Organic Farming | Best Researcher Award

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Ms. Sinoxolo Magaya | Organic Farming | Best Researcher Award

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam,  Netherlands

Sinoxolo Magaya is a PhD researcher in Environmental Geography at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, focusing on sustainable nutrient management in organic agriculture. Her current thesis explores the potentials and constraints of recycled phosphorus product use across the EU. She holds a cum laude MSc in Geography & Environmental Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand, with prior degrees in Geography and Hydrology.

Profile:

🎓 Education:

  • PhD in Environmental Geography (2021–Present)
    Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
    Thesis: Potentials and constraints of recycled phosphorus in EU organic farming

  • MSc Geography & Environmental Studies (Cum Laude) (2019–2021)
    University of Witwatersrand
    Thesis: Indigenous Knowledge in agricultural management

  • BSc Hons Geography (2018–2019)
    University of Witwatersrand

  • BSc Geography & Hydrology (2014–2016)
    University of Zululand

🧠 Research Focus:

  • Recycled phosphorus use in agriculture

  • Indigenous knowledge systems & climate adaptation

  • Urban food systems modeling

  • Nature-based solutions & sustainability transitions

🧪 Skills & Tools:

  • Ethnographic research | Policy analysis | Stakeholder engagement

  • GIS (QGIS & ArcGIS) | R Studio | Atlas.ti | Microsoft Office | Data mining & analytics

🗣️ Conferences & Presentations:

  • 🧾 ReCap Conference, 2024 – Poster on phosphorus distribution in organic farming

  • 🧪 NERM Workshop, 2024 – Fertilizer-based phosphorus research

  • 🎙️ Panelist – Language Policy in Higher Education (Wits Symposium, 2019)

💰 Research Funding:

  • Moses Kotane Institute – R120,000

  • National Research Foundation – R75,000

  • CSIR – R100,000

👩🏽‍🏫 Teaching & Outreach:

  • Guest lectures on GIS, nutrient mapping & environmental science

  • PhD representative (Marie Curie project, 2021–2025)

  • Poster Prize Winner, 2024

  • Golden Key Honour Society Member, 2021

Publication Top Notes:

  • Approaching positionality in research on Indigenous Knowledge Systems

  • Phosphorus removal and use in organic crop farming in the EU

  • Indigenous Knowledge Systems cues essential in agricultural management and tracking seasonality in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, South Africa

  • Food systems modelling to evaluate interventions for food and nutrition security in an African urban context

  • Use of recycled phosphorus products in organic farming in EU member states: Theoretically supported but practically restricted

 

Rani Bhagat | Sustainable Agriculture | Women Researcher Award

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Dr. Rani Bhagat | Sustainable Agriculture | Women Researcher Award

Associate professor at Baburaoji Gholap College, India

Dr. Rani Babanrao Bhagat, born on June 7, 1979, in Hol (8-Phata), Maharashtra, is a dedicated botanist and academician with over two decades of teaching and research experience. She holds an M.Phil. from Alagappa University and a Ph.D. in Botany from Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), focusing her doctoral research on Jatropha species for their potential values.

Profile:

🎓 Academic Background:

  • 🧬 B.Sc. (Botany) – University of Pune, 1999 (Distinction)

  • 🌿 M.Sc. (Botany) – University of Pune, 2001 (First Class)

  • 📜 M.Phil. – Alagappa University, 2008
    Topic: Floristic Survey of Baramati Tahsil

  • 🧪 Ph.D. (Botany) – SPPU, 2018
    Topic: Studies on some Jatropha species for potential values

🧑‍🏫 Teaching & Research Experience:

  • 📚 Teaching: Over 10 years (UG Level)

  • 🔬 Research: 15+ years post-PG

  • 📖 Recognized Ph.D. and M.Phil. Guide in Botany and Environmental Science

🧾 Academic Roles & Contributions:

  • 🌱 IQAC (Criterion III) Coordinator

  • 🌼 Coordinator for Botanical Garden & Campus Enrichment

  • 📚 Organizer: Science Exhibitions, Biodiversity & Plastic Awareness

  • 🌍 Member: SPPU Syllabus Committee, Maharashtra Biodiversity Board

  • 📖 Compiled Academic Calendar, College Magazine, Research Compendium

📢 Public Outreach & Media Engagement:

  • 🎙️ Speaker on All India Radio (Pune & Akola) on Environmental Topics

  • 📖 Published an article on “Flora of Baramati” in Braille

  • 🏞️ Discussant on biodiversity on Vidyawani FM, Pune University

🌐 Professional Memberships:

  • 🌿 Life Member – Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy (IAAT), Calicut

📚 Faculty Development & Training:

  • 🎓 Orientation & Refresher Courses at Goa, Nagpur, Bangalore Universities

  • 🧑‍💻 FDP on Research and Online SWAYAM Course on Solid Waste Management

📊 Research Citation Metrics:

  • Total Citations: 257

  • Citations Since 2020: 119

  • h-index: 9

  • h-index Since 2020: 6

  • i10-index: 8

  • i10-index Since 2020: 5

Publication Top Notes:

  • Antidiarrhoeal activity of Acacia nilotica Willd. bark methanol extract

  • A new species of Eriocaulon (Eriocaulaceae) from Maharashtra, India

  • Anti-inflammatory activity of Jatropha gossypifolia L. leaves in albino mice and Wistar rat

  • Phytochemical profile, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative activities of Pogostemon deccanensis essential oils

  • Evaluation of larvicidal and antifeedant potential of three Jatropha species against Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and two predators (Coleoptera)

  • Flora of Baramati

  • Prospective wild edible fruit plants from part of northern Western Ghats (NWG), Mulshi (MS), India

  • Phytochemical, antioxidant and antimicrobial analysis of endemic and endangered Jatropha nana Dalz. & Gibs. from Maharashtra

  • The importance of conserving fragmented forest patches with high diversity of flowering plants in the northern Western Ghats: an example from Maharashtra, India

  • Phytochemical evaluation and in vitro antimicrobial activity of Jatropha glandulifera Roxb. (family Euphorbiaceae)

  • Physico‐Chemical analysis, NMR spectroscopy and gas chromatographic studies of Jatropha curcas L. germplasm

  • Occurrence of pentatomoid bug on Jatropha nana Dalz.

  • Evaluation of phytochemical, antibacterial and antidiarrhoeal activity of Jatropha gossypifolia L. root methanol extract in Swiss albino mice

  • Habitat conservation of Chinkara (Gazella gazella) in protected areas of Maharashtra and Gujarat

  • The flora of Baramati District in Maharashtra

  • Insecticidal properties of three Jatropha species against stored grain pests

  • In vitro antimicrobial activity, lipid content and physico-chemical analysis of non-edible oils

  • Screening and optimization of IAA production by PGPR isolated from rhizosphere of a Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb. and their effect on plant growth

  • Status of floristic diversity and impact of development on two sacred groves from Maval Tehsil (Maharashtra, India) after a century

  • HPTLC analysis and anti-inflammatory activity of Jatropha gossypifolia L. root in mice and Wistar rats