Speakers
Professor Ian Jandrell
Professor Ian Jandrell is Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Systems and Operations at Wits University. In this role, he provides strategic leadership across key operational and support portfolios that underpin the University’s academic and research mission, including Property and Infrastructure Management, Services, ICT, Campus Protection Services, the re-imagining of Wits’ property portfolio, and the implementation of the University’s online strategy.
Professor Lynn Morris
Professor Lynn Morris is Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation at Wits University. She is an A-rated and internationally recognised scientist with extensive experience in research leadership and management. Her work has made major contributions to understanding the antibody response to HIV, and she has played a leading role in validated end-point assays for HIV vaccine clinical trials.
Professor Vukosi Marivate
Professor Vukosi Marivate is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Pretoria, Director of the African Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AfriDSAI), and holder of the ABSA UP Chair of Data Science. He also serves on the United Nations Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. His work focuses on machine learning, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing, with a strong emphasis on local and low-resource African languages. He leads the Data Science for Social Impact research group and has worked on projects in science, energy, public safety, and utilities. He is also a co-founder of Lelapa AI, the Masakhane Research Foundation, and the Deep Learning Indaba.
Professor Inger Fabris-Rotelli
Professor Inger Fabris-Rotelli is a Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Pretoria. She is the immediate past President of the South African Statistical Association (SASA), co-chair of the SASA Data Science Group, and is active in the broader mathematical sciences and data science community, including NITheCS-related activities. She has made significant contributions to postgraduate supervision and research development in statistics and data science, and has supervised many honours, master’s, and doctoral students. Her research interests include spatial statistics, GIS, remote sensing, image processing, spatial epidemiology, and criminology. She is an NRF-rated researcher and has served in several professional leadership roles nationally and internationally.
Professor Benjamin Rosman
Professor Benjamin Rosman is a Professor in the School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand, founding Director of the Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute, and head of the Robotics, Autonomous Intelligence and Learning (RAIL) Laboratory. He was also named in TIME magazine’s TIME100 AI 2025 list, in the Thinkers category, in recognition of his contribution to artificial intelligence and the growth of Africa’s AI ecosystem.
Professor Loyiso Nongxa
Professor Loyiso Nongxa is an eminent South African mathematician, Professor Emeritus at the University of the Witwatersrand, Honorary Professor at the University of Pretoria, and Extraordinary Professor at the University of the Western Cape. He served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research at Wits and later as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University from 2003 to 2013. A Rhodes Scholar, he obtained his doctorate in Mathematics from the University of Oxford in 1982, after completing his earlier studies at the University of Fort Hare. His academic work has included group theory, while his more recent scholarly interests include the mathematical foundations of data science and machine learning. He has also served as Chairperson of the National Research Foundation and as one of the Vice-Presidents of the International Mathematical Union.
Professor Karin-Therese Howell
Professor Karin-Therese Howell is the Executive Director of AIMS South Africa and holds the academic rank of Associate Professor in Mathematics at Stellenbosch University. She holds a PhD in Mathematics from the University of the Free State and has published in international peer-reviewed journals. Her research focuses on abstract algebra, particularly near-vector spaces, and extends into algebraic biology, where biological problems are studied through algebraic structures and methods. She is also deeply committed to mathematics education, having received multiple Vice-Rector’s Awards for Excellence in First-Year Teaching at Stellenbosch University. Her broader academic leadership includes advancing mathematics in Africa, supporting women in mathematics, and promoting greater inclusivity in the mathematical sciences.
Professor Maurice Radebe
Professor Maurice Radebe is Faculty Director in Commerce, Law and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand and an Adjunct Professor at Wits Business School. He previously served as Head and Director of Wits Business School and as Executive Vice President responsible for Sasol’s global Energy Business. His executive career spans more than three decades in the energy sector, including senior leadership roles at Shell, Exel, and Sasol, with extensive experience in strategy, operations, market development, restructuring, and major energy projects across Africa and internationally. He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Unleashing Leadership Potential Foundation in South Africa. Since joining Wits Business School as an Executive in Residence in 2013, he has contributed significantly to bringing real-world business and energy-sector leadership experience into the academic environment.
Professor Paida Mhangara
Professor Paida Mhangara is Head of the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and a Wits MIND Fellow. He is a senior Earth Observation scientist whose work spans remote sensing, land-atmosphere interactions, machine learning for land-cover characterisation, and advanced geospatial modelling for environmental monitoring.
Professor Kanshukan Rajaratnam
Professor Kanshukan Rajaratnam is Director of the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking at Stellenbosch University. He is widely recognised for his leadership in building data science capacity in South Africa and for advancing interdisciplinary work at the intersection of data science, policy, and strategic decision-making.
Professor Thokozani Majozi
Professor Thokozani Majozi is Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation at the University of Cape Town. He is a distinguished scholar in sustainable process engineering and a highly respected academic leader whose work has made important contributions to engineering research, innovation, and the broader higher education sector.
Professor Costa Hofisi
Professor Costa Hofisi is Professor of Public Administration at North-West University and a leading scholar in public policy, public sector innovation, monitoring and evaluation, governance, and research methods. His work is strongly aligned with questions of institutional development, public value creation, and the role of innovation in strengthening public administration and governance in African contexts.
Professor Charis Harley
Professor Charis Harley is Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of Johannesburg and Head of the Data Science Across Disciplines Research Group. She is a computational mathematician whose work spans numerical methods, data analysis, data science, machine learning, and interdisciplinary applications of computational modelling.
Dr Sibusisiwe Khuluse Makhanya
Dr Sibusisiwe Khuluse Makhanya is Senior Research Manager and Leader at IBM Research Africa in Johannesburg. She has a technical background in statistics and holds a PhD in Spatial Statistics. Her work spans artificial intelligence, quantum computing, applied statistical learning, risk modelling, causal modelling, trustworthy AI, climate science, sustainability, and health-related applications of data science.