Rivoningo Khosa is a PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town’s Department of Geological Sciences. She joined UCT in 2020 as a HERI Advancing Womxn fellow whose work aims to shed light on the palaoenvironments of our early ancestors.
“Rivoningo is one of those rare young scholars who is very good at what she does and an absolute joy to work with,” says her supervisor, HERI Director Dr Robyn Pickering.
Khosa’s research looks at the erosion of South Africa’s fluvial, or river systems, with an interest in understanding landscape evolution using cosmogenic nuclides. These offer a method to quantify rates of landscape change, and for dating geomorphological deposits and surfaces.
“I’m really interested in the development of anabranching rivers and answering questions on how Southern African rivers behave over time” says Khosa.
Khosa spends her time between PhD research and the NRF’s iThemba Laboratories for Accelerator Based Sciences (LABS) facility in Johannesburg, where she works to build and develop the cosmogenic laboratory facility. She is also a member of the Golden Key Honours Society.
1. What excites you most about the palaeosciences?
Palaeoscience provides answers to questions for a time where science and technology did not necessarily allow for such questions to be answered. It allows scientists to go back in time, so we can potentially answer questions relating to our future before they happen.
2. Describe your research in three words.
Understanding landscape evolution.
3. Who is your biggest inspiration?
My late mother. Although a businesswoman, she was big on education and is the reason I will never stop learning. She may no longer be here, but I will always strive to make her proud.
4. What has been your biggest academic challenge?
Imposter syndrome. I have always doubted my own capabilities, even though those around me tend to think otherwise. It has crippled me through a lot of academic presentations and yet I find myself here today as a HERI Advancing Womxn fellow.
5. What is the soundtrack to your studies?
I am not sure I have a soundtrack for my studies, but I do have a few for my life. Maybe the most appropriate for me right now is Alicia Keys’ Girl on Fire.