Sithandiwe Mazibuko-Mbeje is a Professor of Biochemistry and Deputy Dean for Quality Assurance and Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at North-West University.

She leads the Obesity and Metabolic Disease Research Group at the Mahikeng Campus and is an NRF C2-rated scientist whose research bridges biochemistry, molecular biology, and drug discovery, with a particular focus on metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

Her work emphasizes the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants and natural products, exploring their influence on cellular signalling, oxidative stress, and metabolic regulation, while also advancing nutritional biochemistry and indigenous knowledge systems in modern medicine.

Prof. Mazibuko-Mbeje is deeply committed to postgraduate training and interdisciplinary collaboration, supervising Master’s and PhD students. Apart from being a council member for SASBMB, she is a registered member of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP), the Physiology Society of Southern Africa (PSSA), and serves as Chairperson of the Advisory Board at the University of Zululand.