Cricket fast bowling researcher elected to SA Young Academy of Science
- Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ University
Benita Olivier is an Associate Professor in musculo-skeletal physiotherapy in the Physiotherapy Department at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½.
She is one of just 10 researchers elected to the Academy this year.
Olivier is a prolific researcher with a high level of . Her research investigates and promotes prevention of musculoskeletal dysfunction. She has a special interest in the prevention of sports injuries, with a specific focus on human movement analysis.
As part of her PhD research project, Olivier investigated cricket fast bowling action with the aid of kinematic analysis. She established the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Physiotherapy Movement Analysis Laboratory in 2010 and has moulded it into a lab of research excellence.
Olivier has published and is currently supervises 13 MSc and 4 PhD students. She is a National Research Foundation Y-rated researcher.
In 2014, she was the recipient of the Claude Leon Merit Award, the Friedel Sellschop Award for Exceptional Young Researchers and was named a Mail & Guardian Top 200 Most Influential Young South African. She was also a finalist in the 2014 Standard Bank Rising Stars Awards and received the School of Therapeutic Sciences Mentoring Award in 2014.
As a mother of two young boys, Olivier aspires to live a balanced life, with a strong sense of integrity and a drive to positively contribute to the lives of others on a daily basis.
The South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) is the voice of young scientists in South Africa. SAYAS aims to contribute solutions to national and global societal challenges; provide a platform for young scientists to influence policy decisions; develop scientific capacity in South Africa through mentoring and role-modeling of future scientists; and foster opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations amongst young scientists.