Engineering Research Capacity Development Award: (by an individual over the last 5 to 10 years)
sponsored by Eskom, Prof Mmantsae Diale, Associate Professor: Dept of Physics, UP, researches materials development for applications in semiconductor devices used in light harvesting processes (particularly
collecting and storing solar energy). She is driven by the need to take energy from the sun, to remove the
country’s reliance on the grid, and to find a better way of storing the energy collected during the day.

Prof Diale obtained her BSc (Education) in Physics and Mathematics from North West University and Honours in Physics at Sefako Makgatho University. She completed here MSc with distinction at MEDUNSA and her PhD at thwe University of Pretoria. Before entering into the research field, Prof Diale worked testing electric motors and later became a physical science teacher. She was mentored by Prof David Cahen from the prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, in materials for photovoltaic research.