UNIVERSITY OF ESWATINI

Faculty of Science & Engineering

Department of Biological Sciences
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1.0 COMMON QUESTIONS FOR BOTH UNESWAAC16/19 & UNESWAAC17/19

1.1 General Questions

1.1.1 Can you briefly tell us about yourself?

 It is not expected that a complete employment (or personal)
history is given. Rather, a concise and compelling
account/narrative that shows exactly why the candidate is
the right one for the job is required.
o The narrative should (among others) include:
- Name, nationality and brief professional training
profile
- Experiences that are relevant to the current job
(Universities/institutions and courses that the
interviewee taught; courses or curricula designed to
date)

1.1.2 Can you briefly explain what you know about this institution?
 It is anticipated that the candidate demonstrates that they
have so much interest in this institution by doing thorough
digging/research about the institution.
 Answers given may include some but not all of the
following:
o Vision, Mission and core values
o Motto of the University
o How the university developed from the University of
Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (UBLS), formerly known
as the University of Basutoland, Bechuanaland and
Swaziland (UBBS), which was established in 1964 to
become the University of Botswana and Swaziland when the
Lesotho campus withdrew to form the National University
of Lesotho (1975) up to when it became established as an
independent national university in by act of parliament
in 1982.
o How and when the university changed from UNISWA to UNESWA
(University of Eswatini) at the turn of the Kingdom‟s 50th
birthday in 2018
 o It has 3 Campuses (Kwaluseni – Main, Mbabane and Luyengo)
o It has 8 Faculties & 2 Institutes:
- Agriculture, Commerce, Consumer Sciences, Health
Sciences, Education, Humanities, Science & Engineering
and Social Science
- Institute of Distance Education (IDE) and Institute of
Postgraduate Studies
o The officers of the University include The Vice
Chancellor (Prof JM Thwala), Two Pro-Vice Chancellors
(Admin & Academic), The Registrar, The Librarian and the
Bursar.
o Its Chancellor is His Majesty, King Mswati III.

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VISION: The University of Choice in Africa.

MISSION: To be responsive to national and international needs through excellence in teaching and
learning, research and innovation, entrepreneurship, and community engagement
for sustainable development.

CORE VALUES: 1. Autonomy; 2. Integrity; 3. Professionalism; 4. Transparency; 5. Accountability;

6. Innovation; 7. Quality; 8. Relevance; 9. Differentiation and 10. Diversity

MOTTO: Umculu Sisekelo Sesive

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1.1.3 Who do you consider to be your internal and external customers/clients as a Lecturer?
 Internal customers: Students, members of staff within
the department and university at large.

 External customers: Other institutions of higher
learning, community, research organizations, government
departments and the private companies and another outside
relevant stakeholders.

1.2 Questions pertaining to the Job of a Lecturer at UNESWA

These questions will look for the following aspects:
 Passion
 Dedication/commitment
 Scholarship
 Competence
 Job knowledge
 Maturity
 Leadership
 Mentorship
1.2.1 Why do you want to work at this university and why should we hire you as a Lecturer at UNESWA
 Any institution wants to hire people who are passionate
about the job.
o This question presents an interviewee with a great
opportunity to sum up why they are a good fit for the
position.
o It allows them to talk about their skills, their fit with
the university culture, vision, mission, excellent
reputation and everything in between.
 The candidate should indicate a couple of key factors that
make the role a Lecturer at UNESWA a great fit for them
o e.g.,
- “I love to impart knowledge”; I like the vision
&/mission of UNESWA”, and then share why they love this
institution.
- “I‟ve always been passionate about lecturing in the
Kingdom of Eswatini, and I think this institution‟s
vision/mission resonates well with my skills (state the
skills) and ambitions. bla bla bla,…… so I want to be a part
of it”.
- “I‟m personally drawn to UNESWA‟s mission because…bla bla
bla..” and share a personal example/dream/ambition that
fits with the mission.
 There's no better setup for the candidate to sell themselves
or showcase their skills. It is anticipated that the answer
is crafted in a manner that covers four things:
o that the candidate cannot only do the work, but can
deliver great results;
o that the candidate will really fit in with the
departmental team and UNESWA‟s culture;
o that the candidate would be a better hire than any of the
other candidates; and that
o the candidate‟s prior experience and competencies/skills
have positioned them for this specific job of a Lecturer
at UNESWA in the Department of Biological Sciences (i.e. a
concise portrayal/exposé of what the candidate will bring
to the department, in particular, and the institution, in
general)

The bottom line here is that the panel wants to know how
UNESWA will specifically benefit from having this particular
candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences. The
candidate should identify the specific ways that their work
aligns with UNESWA‟s needs and priorities – Things like
research clusters, possible collaborations, reviewing of
undergraduate or postgraduate curricula, interdisciplinary
links with other departments, outreach initiatives, etc.
1.2.2 What do you think are the core duties of a Lecturer at an institution like UNESWA?

1. Teaching
 curriculum development and reviews,
 lecturing, lab supervision, and
 course assessment & examination.

2. Carrying out research

 personal, collaborative, student research project
supervision

3. Provision of community service

 participating in national task force committees and boards;
 providing information/ expertise on challenges affecting
communities and suggesting measures to mitigate these
challenges
 doing any relevant task with or in communities in
furtherance and enforcement of UNESWA‟s Mission and Core
Values;
 providing consultancy services
 Serving in university and faculty administrative
committees.

4. Any relevant academic/administrative/community-related work

as assigned by the Head of Department on behalf of the Dean
and/or Vice-Chancellor.

1.2.3 What do you consider to be the important qualities of a University Lecturer?

 This question evaluates the candidate's ability to see
themselves from the perspective of the student and as well
as employer‟s perspective.
 Everyone has a different teaching style and students react
differently to different styles.
 The following qualities will make the mark:
o Passion and commitment: It takes personal interest in
the subject to incite/stimulate personal interest in
every student.
o Credibility/Integrity
o Punctuality
o Interpersonal and good communication skills
o Team builder
o Resourcefulness or Subject command/mastery/knowledge
o Competence and Hardworkmanship
o Patience with students (esp. Slow learners),
 o Adaptability, Innovation and flexibility (especially
in an ever-changing technological world): To be able
to flexibly adapt to new teaching approaches or
towards different students in different environments;
and always looking for new ideas to make learning
interesting and captivating.
o Honesty and self-discipline and respect
o Excellent communication skills: to be able to explain
and articulate subject content well.
o Excellent presentation skills: Subject matter,
explanations, body language and voice - all contribute
to this.
o Mentorship: To be a morally/ethically good and
inspiring role model. The Lecturer‟s disposition and
deeds should be able to naturally motivate students to
achieve more and in the process implement decorum
within them.
o Ability to do critical thinking and do academic
research

Generally, good lecturers always exhibit some characteristics

which make them a mentor or an inspiration for their students.
They always try to bring the best out of their students. They
encourage and motivate their students and always create a
better learning environment for them.

1.2.4 What are your current research interests and where do you see your research fitting in with the
interests/priorities of the Department? If possible, please highlight any experiences that you have in
terms of attracting funding and how this may link with your research interests
 The candidate is expected to generalise how their present
research interest will shape their future research which
should be in tandem with what the Department of
Biological Sciences or the UNESWA wants.
o For instance, we are planning to introduce a new BSc
degree programme in Biotechnology in line with His
Majesty the King‟s Vision 2022, vis à vis
Biotechnology Park:
 The candidate should present a clear, concise story about
their research interest, selectively including the most
salient aspects that are relevant to the job and the
institution

 (If possible), the candidate may specifically identify

funding mechanisms they plan to pursue and provide
detailed descriptions of planned grant submissions in
their first year.
o Presenting future plans is also an opportunity to
make links to on-going work within the department
and how the candidate‟s interests complement those
current in the department or faculty.
1.2.5. If a student contests a grade you have given him/her in an Exam, how would you propose to deal
with this issue?
 It is expected that the Lecturer displays the knowledge
that in any institution there are Regulations that guide
how such issues are handled. Therefore, the best way to
approach the issue is to refer to UNESWA‟s Academic
General Regulations.

1.2.6 If a student criticizes you in the class, what would you do?
 The best response is the one that shows maturity,
patience and professionalism
 While it is not uncommon that some students may get
agitated and criticize lecturers, the lecturer (in as
much as he/she has power over them) should not abuse it
by shutting them down. Instead, he/she must try to see
what the student is trying to say rather than his tone.
 Based on the content of the student‟s criticism, the
Lecturer must discuss the matter with him in an amicable
way.
(OWTTE – Or Words To That Effect)

1.2.7 How would you ensure an active participation from students in your class?
 A sample answer can be something like:
"At times it becomes quite challenging to get all the students involved in the
discussions. Some students shy away from speaking publicly, some don't know the
answer; some have a fear of being wrong etc. However, I try to throw questions which
do not have a single correct answer and ask them to participate. Also, I know all my
students in a class by name. At times, asking them specifically helps. I also prefer to
ask them to send me their comments before or after the class through e-mail. Some of
them do get in touch and this is the opportunity I bring them into discussion at the
right time."
(OWTTE)

1.2.8 What are your strengths and weaknesses?

 When asked about strengths, one is expected to relate
their response to skills and abilities that are relevant
to this post of a Lecturer.
o Strengths: Anything relevant and to the satisfaction
of the panellists.
o Weaknesses: Anything relevant BUT the candidate is
expected to demonstrate that there is no super-
human. We have inherent shortfalls here and there!!.
In this vein, the candidate should give answers that
portray knowledge of how to respond to setbacks.
 This reveals a lot about the candidate‟s drive and
ability to learn from his/her mistakes. The response
should, therefore be positive and focused more on
how the prospective Lecturer overcame the setbacks
or issues in the past and how this made him/her a
more effective professional.

2.0 SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR UNESWAAC16/19 CANDIDATES

2.1 With reference to plant diseases, can you explain the difference between a sign and a symptom? In
your answer please examples of signs and symptoms that are due to named causative agents?

 The candidate is expected to demonstrate the knowledge that

diseases/pathological conditions are caused by biotic and
abiotic factors and amongst the biotic factors fungi,
viruses and bacteria are the culprits with fungi being the
chief culprits.
o Nematodes are also problematic. These are active
parasites on plants – include slender, unsegmented
roundworms
 The candidate is also expected to give examples of signs
and/or symptoms of common viral, fungal and bacterial
diseases. They should also demonstrate that some
signs/symptoms are common for fungal/viral/bacterial
causative agents and as such multiple or differential
diagnosis should be done.

 The candidate must also demonstrate that plant diseases can

result in primary and secondary symptoms.
o For example, decayed roots on a tree may be a primary
symptom while the toppling over of the tree or
windthrow is a secondary symptom.
o At later stages of a disease, secondary invaders may
also obscure the original disease symptoms so that
symptoms observed at the later stages of the disease
are not typical of the symptoms developed in response
to the original pathogen.

 A sign of plant disease is physical/tangible evidence of

the pathogen.
 Examples:
o Fungal fruiting bodies.
o Canker (a destructive disease that damages the bark of
a tree/plant) causing gummosis (the formation of
patches of oozing sap or gummy substance on the surface
of a plant).
o Leaf rust (common leaf rust in corn)
o Stem rust (wheat stem rust)
o Sclerotinia (white mold)
o Powdery mildew
 o Galls (plant tumors)

 A symptom of plant disease is a detectable/ visible/

observable non-tangible effect of disease on the plant such
as a change in color, shape or function of the plant as it
responds to the pathogen.
 Examples:
o Necrosis
o Chlorosis (yellowing of leaves)
o Leaf spots,
o Bacterial blight (brown, necrotic lesions surrounded by a
bright yellow halo at the leaf margin or interior of the
leaf )
o Scab (crustaceous lesions/scars on fruits, tubers,
leaves, or stems caused by Streptomyces spp.),
o rots,
o damping-off,
o dieback,
o leaf curls.
o Leaf wilting (verticilium wilt caused by the fungi
Fusarium oxysporum, Verticillium albo-atrum and V. dahlia
and bacterial wilt caused by the bacterium Erwinia
tracheiphila)

2.2 Given a diseased pant, how can one determine the causative agent?
 Familiarity with the way plant diseases are visually
identified can help one diagnose effectively. The
diagnostician must have very good observation skills, and
he/she also needs to be a good detective. It is important
to keep an open mind until all of the facts related to the
problem can be collected. The possibility of multiple
causal factors must also be considered.
 Most plant diseases (85%) are caused by fungal or fungal-
like organisms but viruses, bacteria and nematodes also
cause plant diseases
 Apart from these biotic agents, abiotic (environmental)
factors can also cause diseases.
 If a plant disease is suspected, careful attention to plant
appearance can give a good clue regarding the type of
pathogen involved.

The candidate is expected to dwell more on biotic factors

 Disease diagnosis is one of the most important things a
plant pathologist does
 Without proper/accurate identification and diagnosis of the
disease and the disease-causing agent, disease control
measures can be a waste of time and money and can lead to
further plant losses.
 The candidate is expected to highlight the fact that the
science of plant disease diagnosis has evolved from visual
 inspection and identification of plant diseases to detect
using high-throughput serological techniques like enzyme-
linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and molecular methods
such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
 With the applications of bioinformatics in plant pathology,
identification of specific DNA motifs, molecular techniques
have increased the accuracy of plant disease diagnosis.
.
 In short the diagnostic methods discussed should include the
following:
o Visual inspection (visible light imaging, fluorescence
in-situ hybridization (FISH), chlorophyll florescence
imaging, hyper spectral imaging and thermal imaging)
o Sero-diagnostics (plant pathogens like viruses cannot be
cultivated artificially; to address this issue
serological assays such as ELISA are used)
o Molecular methods (Polymerase chain reaction, PCR and,
and Bioinformatics)

2.3 Do you have any questions for us?

 This question tries to measure of how interested the
candidate is in the role of a Lecturer.
 It is not expected that the candidate asks about things
he/she could have found out for themselves.
 The candidate may want to know more about the position,
the institution, the department, the research teams
etc.

3.0 SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR UNESWAAC17/19 CANDIDATES

3.1 Can you give an expert assessment of the role or application of pharmaceutical biotechnology in
cancer treatment?
 It is expected that the candidate explains what cancer is
and what traditional methods of cancer treatment are
 The candidate should then give specific examples of
cases/incidences where biotechnology has been applied to
treat cancer
 From that discussion, it is expected that the candidates
gives a verdict on the medical relevance of this new
field in cancer treatment.
______________________________________________________________
 Cancer is the uncontrollable proliferation of cells into
a tumor
 The tumor can be said to be
o Benign – if the tumor is dormant/latent and not
growing,
o Malignant - if the tumor grows and invades
neighbouring tissues,
 o Metastatic: if the tumor develops its own blood
vessels (a process called angiogenesis) through
which the tumor cells exit the primary tumor site
and enter the circulation, thereby colonising new
sites/organs of the body (This spreading is called
Metastasis!!)

 The “traditional” ways to tackle cancer are chemotherapy

(„chemo‟), Anti-angiogenesis drugs and Radiotherapy and
one big problem with these techniques is lack of
specificity as chemo and radiotherapies do target cancer
cells as well as healthy ones.

 Pharmaceutical biotechnology has been applied in a number

of cases where results suggest great potential and
relevance of this technology in treatment of cancer.

 In essence, biotechnology has so far provided scientists
with information about
o causes ,
o biomarkers,
o related pathways,
o genes,
o factors,
o targets and
o anti-cancer ligands for control of different types
of cancers.
 Such controls include
o predictive diagnosis,
o differential diagnosis,
o early detection,
o cancer progression control as well as
o treatment.

The following are some of the applications of pharmaceutical

biotechnology in treatment of cancer

1. Monoclonal Antibody Therapy / Immunotherapy/Immuno-oncology

 Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) developed against a particular
type of cancer cell may lead to the regression of the tumor,
as the cancerous cells are recognised as alien to body.
 Monoclonal antibodies can trigger off a patient‟s immune
system to start attacking a tumor.
 Anti-cancer drugs can also be physiologically attached to
monoclonal antibodies so as to targeted against specific
cancerous antigens
 Immunotherapy also provides „long-lasting memories‟ to the
body‟s immune system so much that the risk of cancer
 relapsing is avoided since the appropriate immune response
is easily and effectively triggered.

Examples
- The first monoclonal antibody used for cancer purpose was
invented in 1983 to treat a patient with non-Hodgkin‟s
lymphoma.
- Herceptin has been recently and successfully used to
treat breast cancer. In this case, detection of cancer by
noting overexpression of a biomarker, (human epidermal
growth factor receptor 2, HER2, which is an oncogene) and
tailored treatment with Herceptin was a major
breakthrough in biopharmaceutical treatment of cancer.

2. Adoptive T-Cell Therapy (ACT)

 This is the use of a whole cell as a „drug‟, as opposed to
small-molecules or antibodies.
 Essentially, in this treatment, tumor-specific cytotoxic T
cells are infused into cancer patients with the goal of
recognizing, targeting, and destroying tumor cells.
 Currently there are only few indications validated
worldwide, and they vary greatly from one country to
another.
 However, in the last decade, hematopoietic stem cells have
been used (undifferentiated blood cells from bone marrow).
 There are many forms of adoptive T cell therapy being used
for cancer treatment; culturing tumor infiltrating
lymphocytes or TIL, isolating and expanding one particular
T cell or clone, and even using T cells that have been
engineered to potently recognize and attack tumors.

3. Gene Therapy
 In this approach, specific nucleic acids sequences (DNA or
RNA)once vectorized (inserted into a transporter which can
be a Adenovirus virus or liposome transporter) and
delivered to the target cells in the patient, will be
inserted into the cells genome and expressed as any other
gene might.
 In doing so, the gene can be used to activate a certain
signalling pathway, or be translated as a protein with many
applications.

4. Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell (CAR-T) Immunotherapy

 CAR-T is a mix between Cell therapy, Gene therapy and
Immuno-oncology
 It works by triggering the immune system to recognize tumors
and thus activate cancer cell lysis.
 In brief, the patient/donor T-cell is taken, genetically
modified in vitro so that it can express a CAR (Chimeric
Antigen Receptor) that recognizes a specific tumor‟s
antigen.
 Currently several trials are underway: One among others is
an attemptby by Autolus to treat the Acute Lymphatic
Leukemia by targeting CD19 antigen. Autolus is a spin-off
biotech firm from the University College of London.
 The first proof using CAR-T however has already been
achieved by Novartis and the University of Pennsylvania.
Targeting the cancerous B cells in leukemia, up to 3 of the
14 patients in the trial went into complete remission, with
one remaining cancer-free for over 5 years (and counting!).

CAR-T has 4 major advantages:

1. Using an autologous (patient-specific) cell decrease the
risk of immunogenicity (host rejection)
2. CAR-T will target only the tumor cells, so there‟s less
adverse effects as those associated with chemotherapy
3. Triggering the immune system improves the natural way
that our body defends itself against tumor on a long-term
basis, helping reduce risk of relapse
4. Prior results of trials are very promising – complete
remission, even!

Here are other companies that also develop CAR-T: Theravectys,

Kite Pharma, Juno therapeutics.

5. RNA interference
 RNA interference (RNAi) is a mechanism for gene silencing
where specific double-stranded non-coding RNA (ncRNA) such
Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs) and
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are delivered into cancer
cells to trigger sequence-specific targeting of mRNA in as
a way of killing tumor cells or stopping malignancy.
 A majority of gene products involved in tumorigenesis have
recently been utilized as targets in RNAi based therapy.
 The evidence from these studies indicates that RNAi
application for targeting functional carcinogenic
molecules, tumor resistance to chemotherapy and
radiotherapy is required in today's cancer treatment.
 Knocking down of gene products by RNAi technology exerts
anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects upon cell
culture systems, animal models and in clinical trials in
the most studies.
 The recognition of RNAi mechanism and the progress in this
field has led to several new RNAi-based drugs to Clinical
Trial phases. This has also developed genome based
personalized cancer therapeutics. Hopefully, this type of
 treatment will work as one of the efficient one for cancer
patients

3.2 What, in a layman’s language, is Industrial Biotechnology and how relevant is it in the modern day
Eswatini.
 Industrial biotechnology (white biotechnology) is a
multidisciplinary technology that includes the integrated
application of disciplines such as biochemistry,
microbiology, molecular genetics and process technology to
develop useful processes and products, based on microbial,
animal or plant cells, their organelles or enzymes as
biocatalysts.
 Particularly microorganisms have received a lot of attention
as a biotechnological instrument and are used in so-called
fermentation processes.
 Numerous useful bacteria, yeasts and fungi are widely found
in nature, but seldom find the optimum conditions for growth
and product formation in their natural environment.
 In artificial (in vitro) conditions, the biotechnologist can
intervene in the microbial cell environment (in a fermentor
or bio-reactor), as well as in their genetic material (DNA),
to better control and direct the cell metabolism during
these fermentation processes.
 Because of their extremely high synthetic versatility, ease
of using renewable raw materials, great speed of microbial
reactions, quick growth and relatively easy to modify
genetic material, many microorganisms are extremely
efficient and in many cases indispensable workhorses in the
various sectors of industrial biotechnology

OR

 Industrial biotechnology uses biological systems for the

production of chemicals, materials and energy.
 This technology is mainly based on bio-catalysis (the use of
enzymes to catalyse chemical reactions) and fermentation
technology (directed use of microorganisms), in combination
with breakthroughs in molecular genetics, enzyme engineering
and metabolic engineering.

OR
Industrial biotechnology is where a single cell is used as a
FACTORY for sustainable processing and production of
industrial, chemicals, materials and energy.

A vast range of useful products can be produced by industrial

biotechnology (These products are so useful in modern day
Eswatini).
 o These fall within the categories of fine chemicals,
solvents pharmaceuticals, food additives and
supplements, bio-colourants, flavours and aroma
compounds, vitamins, pesticides, bio-plastics,
solvents, bio-plastics, bulk chemicals and
biofuels/bio-energy/bio-ethanol.

3.3 Do you have any questions for us?

 This question tries to measure of how interested the
candidate is in the role of a Lecturer.
 It is not expected that the candidate asks about things
he/she could have found out for themselves.
 The candidate may want to know more about the position,
the institution, the department, the research teams
etc.

The End