The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) inaugurated a record number of 41 leading scientists as new Members at its annual Awards Ceremony on 11 October 2017, increasing the total Membership to 542. Mrs Naledi Pandor, Minister of Science of Technology, delivered the keynote address.

As the official Academy of South Africa, ASSAf has as core function to honour the country’s most outstanding scholars by electing them to Membership of the Academy. ASSAf Members are drawn from the full spectrum of disciplines.

New Members are elected each year by the full existing Membership. Membership of the Academy 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.

Nine new members of the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) were also inaugurated.

The new ASSAf Members are:

Prof Alan Bernstein – Prof Bernstein is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and holds academic positions at the University of Toronto and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Prof Pascal Bessong – Prof Bessong is Research Professor of Microbiology and Global Health, and Head of the HIV/AIDS and Global Health Research Programme at the University of Venda.

Prof André Boraine – Prof Boraine is the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria. He also serves as Co-director of the Centre for Advanced Corporate and Insolvency Law based in the faculty.

Prof Sonja Bosch – Prof Bosch is Chair of Department of African Languages at the University of South Africa.

Prof Christiaan (Tiaan) de Jager – Prof de Jager is the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria and the Director of the Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control at the same university.

Prof Zodwa Dlamini – Prof Dlamini is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagements at the Mangosuthu University of Technology.

Prof Adrienne Edkins – Prof Edkins is Director: Biomedical Biotechnology Research Unit at Rhodes University and holds the DST/NRF South African Research Chair in Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Eukaryotic Stress Response.

Prof Loretta Feris – Prof Feris is Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Transformation at the University of Cape Town. She was previously Professor of law and Director of the Institute of Marine and Environmental Law.

Prof Karen Hofman – Prof Hofman is research Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand and Honorary Associate, Division of International Health, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA.

Prof Isabel Hofmeyr – Prof Hofmeyr is Professor of African Literature at the University of the Witwatersrand and Global Distinguished Professor at New York University.

Prof Jenny Hoobler – Prof Hoobler is Professor and Deputy Dean for Research and Postgraduate Studies at the University of Pretoria, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.

Prof Shaheen Ashraf Kagee – Prof Kagee is Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University.

Prof Ayesha Kharsany – Prof Kharsany is an Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a Senior Scientist at CAPRISA.

Prof Antoinette Lombard – Prof Lombard is Professor in Social Work and Head of the Department of Social Work and Criminology at the University of Pretoria.

Prof Crick Lund – Prof Lund is Director: Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town and is Visiting Professor, Department of Health Service and Population Research Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London.

Prof Judith Masters – Prof Masters is Research Professor, African Primate Initiative for Ecology and Speciation, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Fort Hare.

Prof Thebe Medupe – Prof Medupe is Professor of Physics at North-West University. His field of expertise is astronomy.

Prof Penelope Moore – Prof Moore is a Reader and DST/NRF South African Research Chair of Virus-Host Dynamics at the University of the Witwatersrand and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, and Research Associate at CAPRISA, University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Prof Robert Morrell – Prof Morrell is Director, Next Generation Professoriate and Manager, New Generation of Academics Programme (NGAP), Office of the Vice-Chancellor, University of Cape Town.

Prof Vinasan Naidoo – Prof Naidoo is the Deputy Dean for Research in the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Pretoria.

Prof Dion Nkomo – Prof Nkomo is Associate Professor in African Languages at Rhodes University.

Prof Sarah Nuttall – Prof Nuttall is Director of the Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of the Witwatersrand.

Prof Paul O’ Brien – Prof O’Brien is Professor at the Schools of Chemistry and of Materials at the University of Manchester.

Prof Anthony Okoh – Prof Okoh is Deputy Dean (Research and Internationalisation) of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture at the University of Fort Hare.

Prof Vishnu Padayachee – Prof Padayachee is Distinguished Professor and Derek Schrier and Cecily Cameron Chair in Development Economics, School of Economic and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand.

Prof Bhekizizwe Peterson – Prof Peterson is Professor and Head of African Literature at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Prof Sharon Prince – Prof Prince is Professor, Head of the Division of Cell Biology and Deputy Head of Department of Human Biology at the University of Cape Town.

Prof Maano Ramutsindela – Prof Ramutsindela is Deputy Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Cape Town.

Prof Vasu Reddy – Prof Reddy is Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities University of Pretoria.

Prof Aletta (Alta) Schutte – Prof Schutte is Professor of Physiology and DST/NRF South African Research Chair in the Early Detection and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in South Africa – hosted by the Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART) at the North-West University.

Prof Marius Smuts – Prof Smuts is Professor of Nutrition and Director of the Centre of Excellence in Nutrition (CEN) at the North-West University.

Prof Leslie Swartz – Prof Swartz is Distinguished Professor at the Psychology Department at the Stellenbosch University.

Prof Mark Tomlinson – Prof Tomlinson is Professor in Psychology at the Stellenbosch University.

Prof Imraan Valodia – Prof Valodia is the Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Management and Law at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Dr Heidi van Rooyen – Dr van Rooyen is the Executive Director of the Human and Social Development Programme at the Human Sciences Research Council in South Africa.

Prof Christopher Vaughan – Prof Vaughan is Emeritus Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Cape Town and Extraordinary Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University.

Prof Frans Viljoen – Prof Viljoen is a Professor in Law at the University of Pretoria, and Director of the Centre for Human Rights.

Prof Cherryl Walker – Prof Walker is DST/NRF South African Research Chair in the Sociology of Land, Environment and Sustainable Development, Stellenbosch University.

Prof Qing-Guo Wang – Prof Wang is Distinguished Professor in the Institute for Intelligent Systems, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE), University of Johannesburg.

Prof Robert Wilkinson – Prof Wilkinson is an Honorary Professor at the University of Cape Town where he serves as Director of the Wellcome Centre for Clinical Infectious Disease Research in Africa (CIDRIAfrica).

Prof Taryn Young – Prof Young is Professor, Head of Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Health Care at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The new SAYAS members are:

Dr Adeyemi Aremu – Dr Aremu is Senior Lecturer at DST Centre of Excellence in Indigenous Knowledge Systems, North-West University (Mafikeng Campus).

Prof Benita Olivier – Prof Olivier is Associate Professor in the field of musculoskeletal physiotherapy at the Physiotherapy Department of the University of the Witwatersrand.

Prof Chris De Wet – Prof De Wet is Associate Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Studies in the Department of Biblical and Ancient Studies, at the University of South Africa.

Prof Roula Inglesi-Lotz – Prof Inglesi-Lotz is Associate Professor in the Department of Economics in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria.

Prof Reza Malekian – Prof Malekian is Associate Professor and Head of Advanced Sensor Networks Research Group in the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of Pretoria.

Dr Rory Pilossof – Dr Pilossof is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of the Free States.

Prof Yanxia Sun – Prof Sun is Associate Professor and Head of Department: Electrical and Electronic Engineering Science, University of Johannesburg.

Dr Marde Helbig – Dr Helbig is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Pretoria.

Dr Lindie Koorts – Dr Koorts is Senior Lecturer at the University of the Free State’s Centre for Africa Studies.