Biography:

 Dr Puleng Biyela is a senior lecturer in the department of Physics. She developed her academic career in the next Generation of Academics Program. The nGAP is a program funded by DHET to produce highly qualified academics for the future. She has embodied this title of being a next generation academic through her qualifications, research, and pedagogy. Her teaching and learning expertise have been recognized by the university and her peers by being awarded as the overall winner in the VC’s teaching and learning excellence awards. Her teaching philosophy is aligned with the UNIZULU moto “ A node for African thought” by training students to be thinkers and leaders. She is also a project leader for several community engagement projects within the university and outside communities. She works with Women in Physics in South Africa to promote girls and women to take up careers in Physics, as this is a male dominated field of study. She also engages pupils in basic education to make career driven subjects choices.

• She has worked at the University of Western Cape  as first-year tutor.
• Physics intern at UNIZULU science centre
• Postdoctoral fellow at UJ and UNIZULU
• Contract lecturer at UNIZULU for 3rd and 4th years
• Large class tutor at UNIZULU
• Laboratory assistant for 2nd and 3rd years
• Lectured at 1st, 2nd and honours level at UNIZULU

Lecture’s the following modules:

• 4PHY131
• 4PHY222
• 4PHY504