Nqobile Xaba

Dr Nqobile Xaba is a research associate in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management and Energy Studies at the University of Johannesburg.

She is also a researcher at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) in the Knowledge Economy and Scientific Advancement faculty. Her work focuses on the just energy transition in South Africa, and the broader climate change issues. Prior to joining MISTRA, Dr Xaba was a chemistry lecturer at Tshwane University of Technology. She previously worked as researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for half a decade in the energy materials group, where her research works focused on energy conversion and storage technologies (fuel cells and rechargeable batteries).

Dr Xaba holds a BSc degree in pure and applied chemistry (cum laude) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), and BSc honours degree in chemistry, an MSc degree in chemical engineering science from the University of North-West (NWU), and a PhD in chemistry from the University of the Western Cape (UWC). She is an alumnus of the 72nd Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting.

Dr Xaba’s current work includes conducting research on South Africa’s implementation plan for a just transition framework in South Africa, and beneficiation of South Africa’s minerals for the energy transition. She works with diverse teams in the African continent and globally, researching Africa’s energy needs in the context of an evolving climate landscape and the socio-economic implications for South Africa’s energy transition.

She has published her work in renowned scientific journal articles, and has contributed book chapters and opinion editorial articles in leading South African publications. She is the co-editor and contributing author to the MISTRA volume A Just Transition to a Low Carbon Future in South Africa. She recently authored “Whose energy transition: A South African perspective” (WIREs Energy and Environment. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/wene.478 )

Dr Xaba holds a Senior Research Fellow appointment with the Foundation for Renewable Energy and Environment https://freefutures.org/research/.