He is currently doing IKS research in pursuit of a Doctoral degree in Education. Nxumalo has presented in conferences locally, and internationally, such as in Japan, Germany, UK, and Greece. He has collaborated with institutions such as the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) and with international partners in some national projects and has gained much experience in community projects and in working with traditional leadership in the northern KZN district municipalities.

Nxumalo’s experience with international academic community started in the year 2000, with visits to the UK for training in educational support programmes and development of educational exhibitions; funded by the British Council. He received training in operating planetariums in the UK in 2002, which inspired his first departmental research of indigenous astronomy in 2003-2007, funded by the NRF and later got involved with the DSTI’s national IKS initiative in 2008. His early research led to the center’s first IK-based astronomy program after realizing the connection between his newly learned astronomy and his home-inspired IK astronomy from childhood.

Apart from working alongside few Fulbright scholars in the past, Nxumalo has worked as a seasonal On-site Director of the Fulbright Hays IsiZulu Project led by the University of Pennsylvania and has hosted eight annual programs of international students since 2017. He has since aided the Fulbright project each year in coordinating their cultural experience of Zululand as per the project’s aim of students’ emersion in the Zulu culture. He had earlier collaborated with Australian academics in other outreach projects that visited local schools, focused on both educators and school learners, gaining much experience in educational support outreach programmes. He has personally pioneered educational projects including the center’s IK based astronomy programme, and the “Science at Play” project with a traditional play activities approach to inspiring STEM education. This is in addition to his role then as the science communicator, including curriculum support programmes for local Grade 12 learners. Starting as a volunteer helper in 1995 and later various roles as laboratory assistant, learning facilitator, and administrator following his formal employment in 1996; Nxumalo discovered a passion for educational support programmes, leading to his own initiative for a new programme for primary schools encored in the local IsiZulu language. His initiatives contributed to the center’s increased annual visitor numbers 10 times the normal statistics.