Category: Role Models

Prof Sudesh Sivarasu    Training the engineers Africa needs – building biomedical engineering capacity in Africa by linking research, training and medical device innovation for resource-constrained health systems Training the engineers Africa needs Professor Sudesh Sivarasu is building biomedical engineering…

Prof Marcia Mkansi  The supply chain scientist who counts what matters – translating supply chain research into digital innovations and building institutional capacity for research-led commercialisation The supply chain scientist who counts what matters Prof Marcia Mkansi is translating supply…

Dr Edith Phalane The data she collects could change the course of an epidemic – using big data and machine learning to identify gaps in the HIV response and train the next generation of scientists The data she collects could…

Prof Topside Mathonsi The guardian of invisible systems – transforming South African geophysics – using AI and smart sensing systems to support the resilience of critical infrastructure, while training the next generation of researchers The guardian of invisible systems Prof…

Prof Musa Manzi  Reading the earth from the inside out – transforming South African geophysics – one innovation, one student and one community at a time Reading the earth from the inside out Prof Musa Manzi has transformed South African…

Prof Tjaart Krüger Nature’s quantum blueprint – decoding how plants harvest sunlight and translating those mechanisms into new approaches for cleaner energy Nature’s quantum blueprint Prof Tjaart Krüger is decoding how plants harvest sunlight and translating those mechanisms into new…

Professors Kathleen Kahn and Stephen Tollman Thirty years in one village and what it taught the world about healthy ageing – building South Africa’s most powerful rural population health study from the ground up Prof Kathleen Kahn and Prof Stephen…

Prof Rachel Jewkes Thirty years of changing the conversation on violence against women – transforming gender-based violence from a hidden crisis into a global public health priority Prof Rachel Jewkes transformed gender based violence (GBV) from a hidden crisis into…

AmaQawe ngeMfundo For empowering marginalised South African learners by making STEM education accessible In South Africa’s township schools, where science labs are rare and language barriers often stifle curiosity, AmaQawe ngeMfundo (Heroes through Education) is transforming how science is taught…

Prof Ryan Blumenthal  For advancing science, fostering international collaboration, and bridging the gap between science and the public When Prof Ryan Blumenthal speaks about death, it’s with a reverence that makes the living sit up and listen. In the sterile…