Prof Ramnarain has dedicated himself to the empowerment of students from disadvantaged backgrounds (mainly Black students) in the development of their scholarship. He has maintained a lifelong commitment to transformation through the maintenance of high standards and emphasis on research impact while at the same time recognising the individual challenges faced by his students and building their confidence in the achievement of greatness. His belief is that it is more important for students to engage in research that is socially impactful in addressing contemporary societal problems and not to simply “chase after a certificate”. This approach has seen his students produce excellent research and high distinction rates. He has supervised 14 PhD students, 10 of whom are Black and five of whom are Black women, and 32 Master’s students, 28 of whom are Black and 17 Black women. He is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa.