Ellen Letsogile Thipe is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Stellenbosch University, supervised by Prof. J.E. Hoffmann and Prof. A.B. Sebitosi. She holds a BSc and an MSc in Agricultural Engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
Born and raised in Botswana, Ellen is acutely aware of the challenges and limitations imposed by the harsh, hot semi-arid climate on profitable crop cultivation. Additionally, environmental models predict that Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa will experience temperatures rising above the global average and rainfall reduced by 10% by 2050 because of climate change (Mogomotsi et al., 2020), further constraining agricultural productivity in these marginal areas. This scenario has influenced her current research, which focuses on thermal energy analysis and the management of greenhouse microclimates in semi-arid environments, leveraging the use of solar energy, which is abundant in Southern Africa. She hopes that her research will enhance the resilience of horticultural farming in these climate-constrained environments.
Recently, Ellen presented part of her PhD research at the 6thInternational Conference on Agriculture, Food Security, and Safety (Agrofood, 2025), held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from August 6 to 7, 2025, under the theme Feeding the World Sustainably: One Health, One World. Her presentation was titled “Development and Validation of a CFD Thermal Model for Small-Scale Naturally Ventilated Greenhouses Under Semi-Arid Conditions of Botswana,” for which she won the Best Conference Student Presentation Award.
Reference:
Mogomotsi, P. K., Sekelemani, A., & Mogomotsi, G. E. J. (2020). Climate change adaptation strategies of small-scale farmers in Ngamiland East, Botswana. Climatic Change, 159(3), 441–460. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-019-02645-w
Featured Image:
Ellen receiving her best student presentation award at the AgroFood 2024 Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia held on the 6thand 7thAugust 2025.
