 (1).png){kind=spacer}
3 months ago
61
Prof. Tulio de Oliveira (L) guides Robert Habeck, German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, through the Biomedical Research Institute of Stellenbosch University and the Centre for Epidemiology, Virology and Innovation.
Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance via Getty Images
- Professor Tulio de Oliveira is on the list of the top 1% Highly Cited Researchers worldwide for 2025.
- Only around 10 academics in South Africa made it onto the list.
- De Oliveira hopes the accolade will inspire people to pursue careers in science.
Being a world-renowned scientist is a dream he’s had since he was a 10-year-old boy, and one he hopes to inspire in young South Africans.
Professor Tulio de Oliveira has been named one of only around 10 academics in South Africa on the list of top 1% Highly Cited Researchers worldwide for 2025. The honour places him among the most influential researchers globally.
He hopes that his success will encourage young people to pursue careers in science.
The rankings measure the top scientists in the world, whose work shapes research and policies and acts as a guide for governments, businesses and civil society, De Oliveira explains.
The results of the list speak to the world’s scientists who have the most impact, he says.
READ | US stands to lose more from funding cuts than cost of foreign aid, says Prof De Oliveira
“To be on that list for the second year in a row, and to have close to 10 South Africans on the list of the most influential scientists in the world, it should be a reason for national pride,” De Oliveira says.
Being widely cited is “what a scientist strives towards”, he adds.
“It shows that your work has produced impact beyond academia. That’s important to me and my research group. We’ve had a lot of accolades in the last few years, and they’re all very important. But for us, the most important thing is to inspire the new young generation of scientists.”
De Oliveira says that many students think there are only a few career prospects for scientists in developing countries such as South Africa.
He said:
It’s important that people, and especially the youth who are choosing which degrees to study at university, realise that science is a viable career option. It can have benefits for the country and the continent, and we need thousands more science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates to develop the next wave of technologies that will power South Africa and the continent.
“But a lot of the time, the difficulty in attracting students to the science and technology fields is that there is no clear career path. If you study engineering, you become an engineer. If you study architecture, you become an architect. If you study medicine, you become a doctor. However, there are other career paths where science and technology can be leveraged to develop impactful solutions, such as drought-resistant crops or therapies and vaccines.”
Childhood dream come true
De Oliveira has dreamed of being a top scientist since he was a child.
“When I was around 10 years old, I became fascinated by nature, especially biology. Since I was young, when people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said I wanted to be a scientist. People were surprised, but I wanted to generate science that saves lives. That’s always been my passion,” he says.
De Oliveira’s profile was lifted during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he became one of the eminent experts on genome sequencing the virus, which helped to determine the different variants that evolved.
But he has carried out equally important work in other spheres, including as an evolutionary biologist carrying out HIV/AIDS research and understanding the antimicrobial resistance linked to viruses such as TB and hepatitis.
Today, he continues his work at what he describes as “the best lab complex in the world” at Stellenbosch University, understanding epidemics and how they are amplified by climate change.
He says:
We’re also working a lot on a new field called precision medicine, where we sequence the human genome to identify key mutations that can guide, for example, therapy for cancer.
“I think that the next big thing will be really applying artificial intelligence to solve some of the big epidemics.”
Despite being part of training thousands of students at Stellenbosch University and hosting international dignitaries, De Oliveira says his life remains “simple”.
“I cycle to work every day, and the children walk to school. Life hasn’t changed a lot, to be honest. But sometimes I talk to hundreds of people, or I’m visited by presidents, ministers, and even Nobel Prize winners,” he says.
“My main job is to make sure that they realise that, in South Africa, this technology can really make a global impact and that we gather more investment in South Africa.”
