Project Director: Prof Priscilla Baker
Prof Priscilla Baker is Senior Professor of Chemistry at the University of the Western Cape. Prof Baker was named as Distinguished Woman in Science by the Department of Science & Technology in 2014, and is co-leader of SensorLab, an electrochemistry research platform in UWC’s Department of Chemistry that focuses on fundamental and applied electrodynamics of materials and sensors. Prof Baker is involved in research collaboration with researchers in US, Germany and France, programmes that facilitate extensive and effective student exchange opportunities. She is also active member of two FP7 research consortia viz. European network for artificial muscles (ESNAM) and the Marie Curie International staff exchange scheme (IRSES). Prof Baker took over as director of the SASAC programme from Prof Thandi Mgwebi in November 2017.
Project Deputy Director (Stellenbosch): Ms Corina du Toit
Ms Corina du Toit is head of the African Doctoral Capacity Programme at Stellenbosch University, in which capacity she is responsible for, among other things sculpting the course content presented by the ADA at its Summer and Winter schools each year. Ms Du Toit also dedicates a great deal of energy to sourcing and selecting partners and empowerment programmes to integrate into the ADA, examples of which are the African Woman in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) programme and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) programme.
Project Deputy Director (University of Witwatersrand): Prof Mary Scholes
Prof Mary Scholes, a graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand, is currently a full professor in the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, where she holds a Research Chair in Systems Analysis. Her research activities focus on soil fertility, food security and biogeochemistry in savannas, plantation forests and croplands. Her research funds are mostly sourced from industry and the government and she is currently actively involved in monitoring the impacts, on human health and the environment, of the new power stations in the Waterberg. She chairs the advisory boards of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis. She is also a member of the jury for the Volvo Environment Prize. These activities involve extensive collaborative research with a number of overseas and local institutes. Her publication record is extensive; she has mentored over 70 postgraduate students and she teaches at postgraduate level at the University. She has been awarded the Vice-Chancellors Teaching, Research and Academic Citizen awards. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa and of the South African Academy of Science. She is the recipient of a number of national and international awards including being elected as a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry.
Project Deputy Director: Prof Cornelis Roelofse
Cornelis Roelofse is Professor of Criminology at the University of Limpopo, where he heads the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. A former soldier and police officer, Prof Roelofse had worked extensively in the security sector, including as security manager for the first nuclear plant in Africa and as national security manager of Eskom. He also served as Member of Parliament in Limpopo. His main fields of scientific interest are criminology, criminal justice and community policing. Prof Roelofse serves on a number of boards such as the Criminological and Victimological Society of Southern Africa, the Policing Association of Southern Africa, and several editorial boards. He consults on security and risk assessment and has advised a number of companies in South Africa.
Academic Advisory
- Dr Aldo Stroebel – Executive Director: International Relations and Cooperation (IRC), National Research Foundation
- Dr Sepo Hachigonta – Director, Strategy,Planning and Partnerships, National Research Foundation
- Dr Priscilla Mensah – Director, Human and Infrastructure Capacity Development (HICD), National Research Foundation
Administration
Project Manager: Mr Morgan Morris
Mr Morgan Morris holds a BA (in English & Economics) and a BA (Hons) in English from the University of Cape Town (UCT). He is currently doing his Master’s of Documentary Arts at UCT, working on documentaries around femininity and economic strains on young women; and hypermasculinity among boys and young men on the Cape Flats. Morgan has previously worked in the field of communications, spending 15 years as writer, photographer and head of publications at UCT. He has also worked as a freelance science writer and communicator. At the end of 2017, Morgan took up a part-time contract position with UWC as project manager for the SASAC programme. He will be responsible for updating the SASAC website, and producing the final SASAC report.
SASAC Administrator and SASAC Monitoring & Evaluation Officer: Ms Itumeleng Zosela
Ms Itumeleng Zosela holds a BSc (Microbiology) from the University of Pretoria as a well as a BSc (Hons) Medical Biosciences from the University of the Western Cape. She joined the SASAC project in 2016 as a National Research Foundation (NRF) intern and has been working as the SASAC Administrator and SASAC Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at UWC. She is interested in furthering her studies and doing an MSc Virology. Itumeleng is broad-minded and fast learner, with a passion for science and research. She is keen to gain work experience while using her academic skills and abilities to help her reach her goals. Itumeleng complements her academically trained skills with personal strengths of composure, focus, responsibility and high resilience to stress.