Former South Coaster named among top 200 young South Africans
Dr Selisha Sooklal has been recognised for her work in biocatalysis and anticancer drug discovery.
A former Marburg Secondary learner is celebrating a major national achievement after being named among the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans in the Technology and Innovation category.
Dr Selisha Sooklal, now a senior lecturer in biotechnology at the University of South Africa (Unisa), has been recognised for her work in biocatalysis and anticancer drug discovery.
For her parents, Peter and Sivy Sooklal, the recognition is a proud moment for their daughter, whose journey from the South Coast has taken her into cutting-edge scientific research.
Selisha said she was “incredibly grateful and quite humbled” by the recognition.
“It’s not something I ever set out to achieve – I just wanted to do meaningful work, and to see that acknowledged is very special,” she said.
“Growing up on the South Coast, I never imagined this path would lead me here – being named one of South Africa’s Top 200 Young South Africans. It’s a reminder that where you start doesn’t limit where you can go.”
After matriculating from Marburg Secondary, Selisha enrolled at the University of the Witwatersrand, completing a BSc in Microbiology and Genetics with distinction in 2012.
In 2013, she completed a BSc Honours in Microbiology and Biotechnology, also with distinction, graduating top of her class and receiving the SA Breweries Gold Medal, Van Schaik Prize and Inqaba Biotec Prize.
Her MSc at Wits was upgraded to a PhD, which she completed in 2019. Her thesis focused on biocatalysis and the discovery of rare fluorinating enzymes for potential pharmaceutical applications.
Following a postdoctoral fellowship in anticancer drug discovery at Unisa, she was appointed lecturer in Biotechnology in 2021 and senior lecturer in 2023. She has also served as Biotechnology Stream Leader since 2021.
Her research has resulted in two patented anticancer drug candidates, while she and her co-inventors received three Unisa Research Excellence Awards in 2025.
Selisha has also secured competitive research funding, including two DST-NRF Thuthuka Research Grants and Unisa grants.
Through the Unisa Vision Keepers grant, she undertook three-month research stays at the University of St Andrews in Scotland in 2025 and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry in Prague, Czech Republic this year.
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