Dr. Thando Tenza is a Chief Researcher in the Equitable Education and Economies research division at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree specializing in Agriculture with a focus on Animal Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
She has a Master of Science (MSc) in Animal Science and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) Honours degree in Animal and Poultry Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
She began her career at the HSRC as part of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) in 2021, followed by a PhD traineeship from 2022 to 2024. She currently serves as Chief Researcher. Since 2018, she has been involved with the Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems global research programme. In 2020, Dr. Tenza was recognized as one of the 100 Young Researchers by JET Education Services. Between 2020 and 2021, she served as a project lead at the Agribusiness Development Agency, where she led a study on the beef value chain in KwaZulu-Natal. While completing her studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, she also lectured in Mathematics Literacy, served as a writing tutor, and held the position of Senior Tutor.
Dr. Tenza has authored seven peer-reviewed journal articles and was honored with the Emerging Research Excellence Award at the HSRC in 2024.
