Professor Sibusiso Moyo holds a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Natal and a Master's in Tertiary Education Management from the University of Melbourne. She has had a distinguished career at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), serving in various academic and administrative roles, including Associate Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Engagement. Her responsibilities included overseeing research policy development and supporting postgraduate education. She has published extensively and mentored numerous doctoral students, while also developing staff programs to facilitate PhD completion. Her research focuses on group theoretic applications in nonlinear phenomena, alongside strategic research in higher education policy. In September 2022, she joined Stellenbosch University as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Postgraduate Studies, while actively promoting mathematics among young people and mentoring aspiring women leaders in various fields. 

Prof Helen Kara is known internationally for work in creative research methodologies and community-based participatory research—conference chair of the Creative Research Conference in the UK. Helen Kara is a leading independent researcher, author, teacher and speaker specialising in research methods, particularly creative methods, and research ethics. With over twenty years’ experience as an independent researcher, Helen now teaches doctoral students and staff at higher education institutions worldwide. She is a prolific academic author with over 25 titles and 2000 citations. Her books include Creative Research Methods: A Practical Guide and Research Ethics in the Real World: Euro-Western and Indigenous Perspectives for Policy Press, and Qualitative Research for Quantitative Researchers for SAGE. Helen also founded the annual International Creative Research Methods Conference and the new Journal of Creative Research Methods – first issue due in September 2025. Besides her regular blogs and videos, she also writes comics and fiction. Helen is an Affiliate at Swansea University, a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. In 2021, at the age of 56, she was diagnosed as autistic. Her neurodivergence explains her lifelong fascination with, and ability to focus on, words, language and writing. 

Dr. Therese Fish is an accomplished academic leader currently serving as the Vice Dean of Clinical Services and Social Impact at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University, a position she has held since 2006. In addition, she has been a member of the Stellenbosch University Council since January 2022. Dr. Fish began her professional journey as a medical doctor, dedicating nearly 12 years to the public health sector from 1987 to 1999. She transitioned into academia as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch Business School, eventually moving to the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Her expertise lies in engaging with the public health sector, particularly with the Western Cape Health Department, to strengthen the relationship between the university and health services for academic and training purposes.  A significant aspect of Dr. Fish's role is the implementation of Stellenbosch University’s Policy on Social Impact, which she actively promotes and reviews. Notably, she played a critical role in the inception of South Africa's first Rural Clinical School and has been pivotal in the strategic planning and development of the Faculty’s educational platform, which includes over 100 training sites in previously underserved areas. Dr. Fish holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Bath, with a focus on Higher Education Management, and an MBA (cum laude) from Stellenbosch University. Her extensive training also includes specialised courses in Health Policy and Planning and Healthcare Financing. In recognition of her transformative work, she received the Chancellor’s Award for Social Impact in December 2021. Dr. Fish remains a driving force in advancing health professions education and fostering inclusivity and community partnerships within the academic sphere. 

Ms Hamidah Adewumi Olabisi Rabiu is a third-year medical student at Stellenbosch University and a dynamic student leader from Cape Town, South Africa. With Nigerian roots and a passion for social impact, she serves as the Social Impact Portfolio Manager on the Tygerberg Student Representative Council. Hamidah has also held key roles in the Tygerberg Academic Affairs Council and the Mentor-Tutor program. Guided by resilience, purpose, and a belief in shared humanity, she is committed to breaking barriers, uplifting communities, and empowering women to lead with confidence and authenticity. Rabiu is shaping a future rooted in equity, inclusion, and compassion – not just through her academic journey, but through her tireless commitment to social justice and student empowerment. Born and raised in Cape Town to Nigerian parents, Rabiu's sense of identity runs deep. As a black African Muslim woman, I am unapologetically proud of my identity," she states. That pride forms the foundation of her leadership: a firm belief that everyone deserves to be seen, respected and empowered. Her projects reflect her creative approach to wellbeing and inclusion. She introduced pet therapy events, giving students a moment of joy and calm in high-stress environments. Through a knitting circle, she has helped to instil mindfulness and a sense of community while donating blankets to the homeless. 

Prof. Karin Hannes is a transdisciplinary scholar specialising in the development of innovative research methods and models to respond to emerging social challenges, with a particular focus on arts-based, place-based, multisensory and futures studies research designs as well as qualitative evidence synthesis as a meta-review technique. Part of her job is to test, evaluate and improve existing methods and techniques or to re-appropriate them for use in multiple study contexts. She currently coordinates the Idiosynchratic Inventors Collective, hosted by research group TRANSFORM in the Faculty of Social Sciences. Her inventors' collective has a strong record in the coordination of living labs both in and outside a university context to explore new ways of thinking, acting and being in the world in different fields such as social-behavioural sciences, public health and the art & design sector. She has a special interest in community-based research praxis in urban spaces and works towards inclusive and sustainable living environments for all. Prof. Hannes collaborates intensively with scholars from the global South and is strongly invested in the development of new approaches to education and public outreach with a creative twist. She chairs the European Network for Qualitative Inquiry and co-hosts the Institute of the Future. Her theoretical base aligns with post-human, new materialist, and post-structural thought as well as critical realism. 

Mrs Kashiefa Mohammed is a graduate of the UCT Advocacy Academy, a respected community leader, and spokesperson for the Hanover Park Community Policing Forum. For nearly 40 years, she has worked to support families affected by gang violence, especially mothers who have lost children. After the death of her son in 2017, she founded Cycle of a Woman, a support network offering counselling and empowerment programs for grieving women. After the tragic loss of her son to gang violence, she channelled her grief into action by founding Cycle of a Woman, a support network for mothers affected by violent crime. Mohammed is widely recognised for her courage in speaking out against systemic violence, her commitment to empowering women, and her advocacy for safer, more resilient communities across Cape Town. Her activism is rooted in compassion, resilience, and a commitment to healing and justice in vulnerable communities.

Prof Brendon Barnes writes in the fields of critical psychology, environmental health and research methodologies. His research is based on the following assumptions: toxic physical environments have negative impacts on psychological, social and physical health; environmental impacts disproportionately affect the poor and marginalized; and interventions are inherently political. He contributes to the field in three ways: to identify evidence of disproportionate environmental impacts, to strengthen critical methodologies to study environmental and social injustices, and to reveal the ways in which environmental activism is undermined. Prof Barnes has worked on studies of air pollution, housing, lead poisoning, mercury, water and sanitation, and climate change that cut across impact, intervention, activism and politics.. 

Prof Michelle Andipatin writes in the fields of critical psychology, environmental health and research methodologies. His research is based on the following assumptions: toxic physical environments have negative impacts on psychological, social and physical health; environmental impacts disproportionately affect the poor and marginalized; and interventions are inherently political. He contributes to the field in three ways: to identify evidence of disproportionate environmental impacts, to strengthen critical methodologies to study environmental and social injustices, and to reveal the ways in which environmental activism is undermined. Prof Barnes has worked on studies of air pollution, housing, lead poisoning, mercury, water and sanitation, and climate change that cut across impact, intervention, activism and politics.. 

Prof Thivhulawi Malwela is a Professor in the Department of Advanced Nursing at the University of Venda. She has worked for over 20 years in the higher education sector. She specialises in Maternal, Women and Child Health (MWCH) and has published in peer-reviewed and accredited journals. She has supervised Honours, Masters and PhD students. Dr Malwela Thivhulawi is the current Deputy Head of the Department of Advanced Nursing Science. Member of the Transvers committee attending to the University of Venda business of the day, deputy chairperson in the Covid-19 response committee in 2021.

Dr Koketso Rakhudu (Kgosana) is a Mandela Washington Fellow (Leaders in Public Management, Georgia State University) and the chief of the Tsitsing community in the Royal Bafokeng Nation. He serves as Deputy Chairperson of the North West Provincial Council on AIDS. Dr Rakhudu sits on the steering committee for the Bafokeng Health and Demographic Surveillance Node within the South African Population Research Infrastructure Network (SAPRIN), collaborating with the Aurum Institute, the University of the Witwatersrand, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University and Johns Hopkins University. He chairs the board of the Royal Bafokeng Godisanang OVC Programme and was named among the Pan African Leadership Institute’s top 30 rising community leaders. His work focuses on community‑led health initiatives, ethical engagement with indigenous knowledge and strengthening systems for equitable health outcomes. More information: www.drkoketsorakhudu.com 

Dr Jameo Calvert is a South African Indigenous Health Practitioner (IHP-SA), knowledge disruptor, and advocate for the professionalisation of African Traditional Medicine (ATM). With more than 14 years of professional experience, Dr Calvert has committed their life’s work to bridging ancestral knowledge with modern healing systems. Currently serving as President of the South African Traditional Health Practice Association (SATHPA), Dr Calvert plays a leading role in shaping policy, advancing health education, and challenging the marginalisation of African healing systems. Their work repositions 'ukwelapha kwesintu' as Indigenous Health Sciences (IHS): a living, coherent knowledge system with its own paradigms, ontology, epistemology, axiology, meta-theory, and methodologies. Dr. Calvert’s scholarship and advocacy intersect with decolonial health education, psychosocial-spiritual integration, and the intellectual sovereignty of African systems. Their practice is rooted in African knowledge systems, while engaging contemporary healthcare frameworks, to offer structured, ethical, and professional service models that combat stigma and misinformation. Recognised by SATHPA as a Professor of Traditional (Indigenous) Health Sciences Education, Calvert is an innovator and theorist who actively shares knowledge through public speaking, social media, radio, television, and research conferences. Their work challenges the status quo, inspiring new ways of learning, healing, and teaching that centre African epistemologies. 

Prof Marina Joubert is senior researcher in the field of science communication at the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST) at Stellenbosch University. Following a career of more than 20 years in science communication practice, she joined Stellenbosch University in 2015 and was instrumental in establishing the first academic programme in public science communication and public engagement with science in Africa. Since then, she has published extensively in the field and supervised several postgraduate students. In 2015, she developed and launched an online short course in science communication, offered over a period of 12 weeks. By 2022, more than 500 participants from across Africa and beyond, completed this course successfully.

Her research interests focus on how scientists respond to increasing demands for public engagement, and how researchers can be supported to be more successful when they reach out to communities, youth, policymakers and other audiences. She serves on several international advisory and editorial boards, and is the deputy editor of the Journal of Science Communication (JCOM). She is an honourary life member of the global Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) Network. 

Dr Therina Theron is the Senior Director: Research and Innovation at Stellenbosch University (SU) since 2008. She is the immediate past-President and serves on the Executive Committee of the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA). She serves as Chair of the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) 2023 congress hosted by SARIMA in Durban, South Africa next year. She is also co-Chair of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)'s Supporting Research Community steering committee. Dr Theron has received the Distinguished Contribution to Research Management award.

Prof Kopano Ratele is a decolonial social scientist and men and masculinities studies scholar. He is known for his work on Africa-centred psychology, masculinity, fatherhood, culture, sexuality, and violence. He is a former co-director of the South African Medical Research Council-University of South Africa (Unisa)'s Violence, Injury & Peace Research Unit. In 2009-2010 he was president of the Psychological Society of South Africa. He chaired the board of Sonke Gender Justice, a South African nongovernmental organisation working across Africa to strengthen government, civil society and citizen capacity to promote gender equality, prevent domestic and sexual violence, and reduce the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS. He is a regular contributor to media on matters related to boys, men and masculinity, violence, and fatherhood. In 2017-2018 he co-hosted a weekly radio show on fatherhood, CapeTalk Dads, on The Koketso Sachane Show with Koketso Sachane and Mbuyiselo Botha on CapeTalk Radio. From 2021 he has co-hosted a fatherhood and parenting feature with Koketso Sachane on The Meeting Point. In 2021 he became professor of Psychology Department at Stellenbosch University

Dr. Neziswa Vuyasande Titi is a transdisciplinary activist-academic at the African Feminist Studies Department, University of Cape Town. Her teaching champions multilingual and translingual pedagogies, complementing her research emphasis on decolonial, African-centered, and child-centric methodologies. Dr. Titi investigates critical areas including child sexual trauma, access to services, and the intersections of violence against women and children. As an engaging educator, she supervises postgraduate students and teaches at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Beyond academia, Dr. Titi actively influences through leadership and consultancies national and international discussions on social justice, gender equality, and child well-being. Locally, her advocacy and community responsiveness further encompass access to education and mental health support for youth in South African townships, alongside leadership on child welfare and health boards like Childline Western Cape (2021 – current) and the Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital (2023-2024). Internationally, she advances Pan-African feminist activism, leads the Southern Africa segment of the Ford Foundation's Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice International Program, and advised on the MenEngage decolonial gender transformation agenda. Her global work also extends to MHPSS (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support) for humanitarian settings, contributing to critical dialogues and initiatives for vulnerable populations worldwide.

Dr Astrid Treffry-Goatley is a senior researcher at Stellenbosch University, specialising in transdisciplinary and participatory research at the intersection of the arts, health, and social justice. Trained in ethnomusicology and film studies, she has extensive experience using creative methodologies to address issues such as HIV, gender-based violence, and the impact of climate change on health. With a background in public engagement at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Astrid has led participatory projects that enable young people in low-income settings to use film, photography, and digital storytelling for research and advocacy. Her work continues to advance innovative, community-led approaches to knowledge production and social change.

Dr Gill Black is the Co-Founder and Director of the Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation (SLF), a Cape Town-based non-profit organisation specialising in research, community engagement, and innovation across the thematic areas of Health, Informality, Ecology & Society, and Citizen Action. Headquartered in Wynberg, SLF’s work extends across multiple regions in Cape Town as well as into Johannesburg and Durban.

With a foundational career in immunology, Gill has developed a strong focus on health and biomedical science communication, participatory methodologies, and behaviour change. Her work centres on building meaningful partnerships with individuals and communities in high TB and HIV-burdened settings, co-creating innovative, culturally responsive, and sustainable strategies aimed at reducing stigma, raising awareness, and supporting the prevention of TB, MDR-TB, and HIV in South Africa.

Ms Latiefah Jacobs is a South African author, community advocate, and founder of Aurorah Community Action Network (CAN) in Kuils River. A fierce voice against gender-based violence, she uses storytelling to amplify survivor experiences and promote healing. Through her books, A Letter to My Perpetrator and From Surviving to Striving, Latifah provides platforms for those silenced by trauma to be heard. She is currently compiling a new book, The Horror of Trust, focusing on stories of betrayal by those closest to survivors. Her work is rooted in compassion, justice, and the belief that speaking out is a powerful step toward reclaiming dignity. Recognized with awards such as the City Hero Award and the African Authors Award, she continues to challenge systems of silence while empowering communities through writing, advocacy, and healing-centered programs.