Forty-three of the country’s leading scholars and scientists were inaugurated as members of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) at the annual awards ceremony on Wednesday (20 October).
As the official Academy of South Africa, ASSAf said in a statement, its core function is to honour the country’s most outstanding scholars by electing them to membership. Members are drawn from the full spectrum of disciplines and are elected each year by the full existing membership. Membership is a great honour and is in recognition of scholarly achievement. Members are the core asset of the Academy and give of their time and expertise voluntarily in the service of society.
The total membership of ASSAf is now 632.
At the same time 10 new members of the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) were inaugurated.
SAYAS was launched in October 2011 as a means to enable South Africa’s young scientists to fully participate in local and internationally relevant research and development agendas.
It provides a national platform where leading young scientists from all disciplines in the country can interact, and also access international networking and career development opportunities.
SAYAS members are young scientists below the age of 40, who have PhDs and are deemed excellent in their fields of expertise. They hail from all disciplines including pure and applied sciences, humanities, social sciences and the arts.
The new ASSAf members are:
Prof Heidi Abrahamse is Director of the Laser Research Centre, University of Johannesburg and DST/NRF SARChI Chair for Laser Applications in Health;
Prof Catherine Albertyn is Professor of Law and the SARChI Research Chair in Equality, Law and Social Justice in the School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand;
Prof Colleen Aldous is a Professor in the College of Health Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal; Prof Haroon Bhorat is Professor of Economics and Director of the Development Policy Research Unit at the University of Cape Town;
Prof Irwin Brown is Head of Department and Professor of Information Systems (IS) at the University of Cape Town;
Prof Justine Burns is Head of School, School of Economics at the University of Cape Town; Prof Christian Chimimba is former Head in the Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, an Associate of the Mammal Research Institute, and a core team member of the Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology; Prof Shadreck Chirikure is Head of the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cape Town; Prof Ian Couper is Director of Ukwanda Centre for Rural Health and Professor of Rural Health in the Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University; Prof Mary-Ann Davies is a Public Health Medicine Specialist in the Western Cape Department of Health, responsible for Epidemiology and Surveillance, and Director of the Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research (CIDER) at the University of Cape Town; Prof Anton Du Plessis is an associate Professor at Stellenbosch University and is also affiliated with Nelson Mandela University (NMU) and Central University of Technology as visiting professor; Prof Tulio de Oliveira is a Professor of Bioinformatics at the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, and director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) in South Africa; Prof David Everatt is Professor of Urban Governance at the University of the Witwatersrand School of Governance; Prof Willem Fouché is Emeritus Professor at the Department Decision Sciences at the University of South Africa; Prof Kerstin Jordaan is Professor in the Department of Decision Sciences at the University of South Africa; Prof Jeanne Kriek is a full Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of South Africa; Dr Glenda Kruss is the Executive Head of the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC); Prof Xinying Liu is a full Professor at the Institute for Development of Energy for African Sustainability (IDEAS), a research institute at the University of South Africa; Prof Rasigan Maharajh is the Node Head of the DST/NRF CoE in Scientometrics and STI Policy, Chief Director of the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation (Tshwane University of Technology), and Associate Research Fellow of the Tellus Institute; Prof James Maina is Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Pretoria and adjunct Professor at Chang’an University in Xi’an, China as well as Shandong Jianzhu University in Shandong, China; Prof Madipoane Masenya is Professor of Old Testament Studies attached to the Department of Biblical and Ancient Studies at the University of South Africa; Prof Salome Maswime is an associate Professor and Head of the Global Surgery Division at the University of Cape Town; an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist; Prof Koleka Mlisana is the Executive Manager: Academic Affairs, Research & Quality Assurance at the National Health Laboratory Service; Prof Mosa Moshabela holds the position of Full Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation (Acting), University of KwaZulu-Natal; Prof Shireen Motala is Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg, The SARChI Chair, Teaching and Learning is located within the FoE; Prof Ntobeko Ntusi is a cardiologist and a Professor of Medicine, and is the Chair and Head of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital; Prof Marlien Pieters is Professor of Nutrition at the North-West University and serves as Director of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Extramural Unit: Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease Research; Prof Norma Romm is a research Professor in the Department of Adult Education and Youth Development at the University of South Africa;
Prof Akshay Saha is an Associate Professor and Academic Leader Research and Higher Degrees at the School of Engineering, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Prof Samantha Sampson is Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University; Prof Sibusiso Sifunda is a Chief Research Specialist in the Human and Social Capabilities (HSC) research programme of the Human Science Research Council; Prof Ruth Stewart is Director of the Africa Centre for Evidence at the University of Johannesburg and the Chairperson of the Africa Evidence Network; Prof De Wet Swanepoel is Professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria and senior research fellow at the Ear Science Institute Australia;
Prof Andrew Thatcher is Chair of Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand; Prof Peter Taylor is Professor in Zoology & Entomology Department & Afromontane Research Unit, University of the Free State (UFS), QwaQwa Campus; Prof Bhekisipho Twala is the Executive Dean of Engineering and Built Environment and Professor in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at the Durban University of Technology; Prof Jean-Paul Van Belle is Professor in the Department of Information Systems at the University of Cape Town; Prof Ashley van Niekerk is Professor at the University of South Africa Institute for Social and Health Sciences;
Prof Marietjie Venter heads the Zoonotic arbo and respiratory virus programme and co-founded the Centre for Viral Zoonoses Department Medical Virology, University of Pretoria where she is full Professor; Prof Samantha Vice is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of the Witwatersrand; Prof Gerhard Walzl leads the Stellenbosch University (SU) Immunology Research Group; Prof Lesley Wood is a Research Professor in the Faculty of Education at North-West University and Director of a research entity, Community-based Educational Research; Prof Patrick Woudt is Professor of Astronomy and Head of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Cape Town.
The 10 new SAYAS members are:
Prof David Lokhat, associate professor in the School of Engineering, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Dr Joshua Edokpayi, senior lecturer at the Department of Earth Sciences from the University of Venda (Univen); Prof Kapil Gupta, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Technology, University of Johannesburg; Dr Michelle Lochner, senior lecturer/principal investigator for the Rubin Observatory with a joint position between the University of the Western Cape and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory; Prof Monnye Mabelebele, associate professor in the Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa; Dr Moshawe Jack Madito, senior lecturer in the Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability (iNanoWS), University of South Africa; Dr Natisha Dukhi, senior research specialist, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in South Africa; Prof Nnamdi Nwulu, professor of Electrical Engineering and director of the Centre for Cyber Physical Food, Energy & Water Systems (CCP-FEWS), University of Johannesburg; Dr Sphiwe Emmanuel Mhlongo, senior lecturer at the Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Agriculture, University of Venda; Prof Thashree Marimuthu, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of the Witwatersrand.
Issued by Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)