History

Although officially designated as the Zoology Department in 1920, instruction in Zoology at North-West University predates this period and was initially conducted within the Literary Department of the then Theological School in Potchefstroom. In 1925, Zoology attained independence from the Botany department and was recognized as a distinct department. Mr. Eiselen, the first Zoology lecturer, also assumed the role of department head in 1951 and held this position until his retirement in 1960. The first dedicated laboratory building for the Zoology department (among others) was completed in May 1940. In 2023, Zoology moved buildings again and the home of Zoology at North-West University is now on the first floor of Building G23A.

A link to the editorial on the North-West University (NWU) Zoology centennial special issue, with a summary of the history of NWU Zoology, is provided here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15627020.2020.1755595

NRF ratings

A National Research Foundation (NRF) rating monitors the quality of South African researchers against the best in the world. It is based primarily on the quality and impact of their research outputs over the past eight years, taking into consideration the evaluation made by local and international peers.

Currently, all permanent academic staff members in Zoology (13) hold PhDs and majority are recognised as National Research Foundation (NRF)-rated scientists, reflecting a high standard of scholarly achievement evaluated through rigorous peer review and quality outputs. Furthermore, six of our professors are B-rated researchers (internationally acclaimed) and some of the top researchers at NWU.