Welcome

The mission of the Optentia Research Unit is to develop and organise knowledge for the optimal expression of individual, social and institutional potential, with a specific interest in the African context. The research unit utilises the inputs from multiple disciplines: Economics, Educational Sciences, Employment Relations, Human Resource Management, Information Technology, Philosophy, Psychology (Work and Organisational Psychology, Educational Psychology, Counselling Psychology, and Clinical Psychology), Risk Management, Social Anthropology, Social Work, and Sociology. We study the optimisation of the potential of people and institutions by focusing on pathways from precarity to capability and optimal functioning. Optentia's research is organised into six programmes. Read more about Optentia in this information leaflet.

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Recent news

Teaching with Research: A Collaborative Workshop at Monate Game Lodge

The Optentia Research Unit at NWU, together with the Research Support Office (NWU) and the Norwegian Institute of Technology, recently hosted a two-day workshop for lecturers who teach research. The focus was clear: strengthen res...Read article

Optentia Expert Speaks on South Africa’s Gender-Based Violence Crisis

Dealing with gender-based violence in South Africa matters because it shapes everyday safety, limits people’s freedom, and signals deeper social and institutional failures that need consistent and collective action to change...Read article

Optentia Research Unit launches ground-breaking short courses for support staff

The Optentia Research Unit at the North-West University (NWU) has officially launched two innovative hybrid short courses designed to build mentoring capacity and strengthen professional development among university support staff....Read article

Academics champion well-being and decent jobs at international conference

Two leading scholars from the North-West University (NWU) took centre stage at the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Psychosocial Well-being (ETPW2025), hosted by the University of Namibia. Their contributions highlig...Read article

Newsletter, September 2025