ARCHIVE

Prof Berhanu Abegaz

Director of the African Academies of Sciences, International.

How to Nurture and Develop Africa focused Research Leaders (download presentation here)
Topic G: Building Africa’s scientific human capital

Berhanu Abegaz is the Executive Director of the African Academy of Sciences having been appointed to the post in March 2011. Abegaz was born in Ethiopia. After receiving his B.Sc. in Chemistry in 1968 he was awarded an AFGRAD Scholarship and joined the Graduate Program in Chemistry at the University of Vermont, USA, where he studied under the mentorship of Professor A. PaulKrapcho. He was awarded a Ph.D. in 1973 for his dissertation entitled “Photochemistry of Polymethylene-ketene Dimers and Polyspirocyclobutanones. Before joining AAS Prof Abegaz was professor of chemistry at the University of Botswana in Gaborone for 17 years. He has also been a member of the chemistry department at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia from 1973 until 1994. He was elected a member of the Third World Academy of Sciences in 1998.

Read more: Prof Berhanu Abegaz

Dr Wuraola Akande

Board Member, Marie Curie Alumni Association, International.

Marie Curie Programs (download presentation here)
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Important early career milestones and support

Dr Akande MRPharmS is Chief Pharmacist Tristate Cardiovascular Institute Nigeria.  Her first degree was in Biochemistry at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria (1997-2002), followed by a Master of Pharmacy at the University of Brighton, UK in (2003- 2007). Her research career began in 2008 as a Marie Curie Early Stage researcher, working for a PhD funded by the FP7 Marie Curie MONACO-EXTRA project (218242). Dr Akande's research was on designing an appropriate matrix for use in extracorporeal apheresis systems.

Read more: Dr Wuraola Akande

Dr Emily Arnold

Assistant Professor, Aerospace Engineering Department, University of Kansas, USA.

Panelist
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender, Technology and Communities of the Future

Dr Emily Arnold is an assistant professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Kansas, and she is the first female faculty member in the department’s 75 year history. Dr Arnold’s research interests include multifunctional structures, airborne platform sensor integration, remote sensing, and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). She received her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering in 2009 and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering in 2013, both from the University of Kansas. After receiving her PhD, she joined the MITRE Corporation where she worked on the Air Force’s BACN (Battlefield Airborne Communication Node) E-11A program before returning to Kansas.  

Read more: Dr Emily Arnold

Dr Patricia Arredondo

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, President-Chicago Campus, Biosketch-2015, USA.

A Translation from Theory to Practice
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Women of the African Diaspora in STEM Academic Leadership

Dr Patricia Arredondo became president of Chicago campus of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in February 2013. She joined the school after successfully serving in senior administrative roles and as a Full Professor in Counseling Psychology with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Arizona State University. Additionally, she led an organizational consulting firm addressing diversity in the workplace in Boston for 13 years.  In the academic world, Dr Arredondo is a national leader and scholar on many fronts, extensively published in the areas of multicultural competency development, immigrant issues in counseling, counseling with Latinas/os, women’s leadership and, organizational diversity.

Read more: Dr Patricia Arredondo

Prof Olubukola O. Babalola

Leader, Microbial Biotechnology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology, North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, South Africa.

Organisation for Women in Science in the Developing World (OSWD)
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Important early career milestones and support

Prof Olubukola O. BABALOLA (Nee: Ademuyiwa) Pr.Sci.Nat is a National Research Foundation rated established scientist. She obtained PhD in Microbiology with the Visiting Research Fellowship of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Postgraduate Training Fellowships of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) that sponsored her stay and training at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi; and the Kenya Sugar Research Foundation (KESREF), Kisumu (over 12 years ago!).

Read more: Prof Olubukola O. Babalola

Prof Jean Bailey

Graduate Professor of Human Development, Howard University; Chair, Howard University Republic of South Africa Project (HURSAP); Co-Chair, USA African National Congress (ANC) Centenary Committee; Member, President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts for the Kennedy Center (PACA), Appointed by President Obama; Member, Maryland Commission on African Affairs, appointed by Governor O’Malley; Chair, Maryland/KwaZulu-Natal Sister States Committee, USA.

Opportunities and Challenges for Conducting Trans-National Collaborative Research (download presentation here )
Topic F: International collaborations in gender and science

Professor Jean Bailey is Graduate Professor in Human Development at Howard University.  Additionally, she directs the Center for Drug Abuse Research, chairs the Howard University Republic of South Africa Project (HURSAP). She co-chaired the USA African National Congress (ANC) Centenary Committee (appointed by the National Chairperson of the ANC). As chair of the USA ANC Centenary Committee, she coordinated the US activities in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the ANC from 2011 – present (including Legacy Projects). 

Read more: Prof Jean Bailey

Prof André Béraud

Researcher/GenderTime Coordination Team, ECEPIE (Equal opportunities for women and men in engineering studies and careers in Europe), EU.

Lessons from the EU: GenderTime & other EU initiatives (download presentation here )
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Women and STEM careers: exchanging Insights and best practice

Prof Béraud holds a Doctorat in French Literature (Université de Grenoble, 1978), Agrégation de Lettres.  He taught and researched in Africa (University of Cape Coast, Ghana,1969-1974); in the US (University of Montana, 1974-1977, visiting Assistant Professor); in INSA Lyon (National Institute for Applied Sciences) where he was Director of the Department of Humanities (70 persons,1990 -1998) and Director of a network of libraries (120 persons). He created a research team (ESCHIL), specialising on Gender questions (Women in Science and technology).

Read more: Prof André Béraud

Dr Tonya Blowers

OWSD Coordinator, Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), International.

Moderator
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Important early career milestones and support

Tonya Blowers is Programme Coordinator for the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) based in Trieste, Italy. She has a PhD in Women and Gender from the University of Warwick (UK) and has developed science communication courses for PhD students in neuroscience, biology, physics and mathematics. Before joining OWSD, Tonya was Staff Writer at TWAS (the world academy of sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries), editing the TWAS Newsletter and website and contributing many articles on science in developing countries.  

Read more: Dr Tonya Blowers

Prof Narnia Bohler-Muller

Deputy Executive Director, Governance and Service Delivery research programme (DGSD), Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa.

Moderator
Topic D: Building communities of gender expertise and leadership

Professor Narnia Bohler-Muller holds the degrees of BJuris LLB LLM (UPE) LLD (UP). Previously she was Professor of law at Vista University and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) before joining Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) as research director of social sciences in February 2011. She joined the HSRC as Deputy Executive Director of the Democracy, Governance and Service Delivery research programme on 1 March 2012, and acted in the capacity of Executive Director until September 2012. She is an adjunct Professor of the Nelson R Mandela School of Law at the University of Fort Hare.  After acting as the Executive Director of the Democracy, Governance and Service Delivery research programme (DGSD) at the HSRC for seven months, she is currently the Deputy Executive Director of DGSD and an Adjunct Professor of the Nelson R Mandela School of Law at the University of Fort Hare. 

Read more: Prof Narnia Bohler-Muller

Tanaga A. Boozer

Program Advisor, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Office of Education and Outreach, USA.

Panelist
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Entrepreneurship by Women STEM

Tanaga A. Boozer, MBA, JD has several years of experience developing and promoting innovation and technology transfer programs in the U.S and abroad. The Program Advisor in the Office of Education and Outreach directs and coordinates intellectual property (IP) educational outreach programs and partnerships with external organizations, academic institutions and federal agencies. Ms. Boozer conducts invention education seminars for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) administrators and educators. She also develops and implements new educational programs in conformance with the policies, mission and goals of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Read more: Tanaga A. Boozer

Dr Sherri-Ann P. Butterfield

Senior Advisor to the Chancellor, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty of the Newark College of Arts & Sciences and Associate Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University - Newark, USA.

Chair
Topic C: Sex and gender knowledge, improving people’s lives

Dr Sherri-Ann P. Butterfield is Senior Advisor to the Chancellor, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty of the Newark College of Arts & Sciences and Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University - Newark. She received her BA in Sociology from Yale University and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Michigan.  Her scholarly interests are immigration, race and ethnic relations, sex and gender, identity development and culture, and urban education within the Afro-Caribbean diaspora.

Read more: Dr Sherri-Ann P. Butterfield

Chancellor Nancy Cantor (GS5A)

Chancellor, Rutgers University – Newark, USA. 

Widening participation in research and innovation: lessons from initiatives in the USA (download presentation here )
Topic A: Benefits of STEM diversity in operation

Nancy Cantor PhD is Chancellor of Rutgers University – Newark, a post she assumed in January 2014. A distinguished leader in higher education, she is recognized nationally and internationally as an advocate for re-emphasizing its public mission. This entails a view of the university not as a traditional "ivory tower," but as a public good, an anchor institution that collaborates with partners from all sectors of the economy to fulfill higher education’s promise as an engine of discovery, innovation, and social mobility.

Read more: Chancellor Nancy Cantor (GS5A)

Karen Craggs-Milne

Director of Gender Equality & Inclusion - AIMS Global Network, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), AIMS - Global Secretariat, International.

Chair
Topic A: Benefits of STEM diversity in operation

Karen Craggs-Milne is the Director for Gender Equality & Inclusion at the African Institute for Mathematics (AIMS). She leads streamlining of gender equality and inclusion across the AIMS network. This involves systematic integration of gender and inclusion considerations across the organization and its core areas of work in mathematical sciences education, research and outreach.

Read more: Karen Craggs-Milne

Dr Beverley Damonse

Acting CEO, National Reseach Foundation, South Africa.

NRF Funding Opportunities
Topic E: Funders affecting change in research strategies and priorities

Dr Beverley Damonse, is the acting CEO of the National Research Foundation (NRF) and Group Executive: Science Engagement and Corporate Relations, driving strategy development and implementation in the areas of science communication, education, public engagement with science and corporate relations.

Read more: Dr Beverley Damonse

Prof Eileen Drew

Director, Centre for Women in Science and Engineering Research (WiSER), Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

INTEGER INstitutional Transformation for Effecting Gender Equality in Research (download presentation here )
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Driving Equality and Excellence

Professor Eileen Drew, is the Director of the Centre for Women in Science and Engineering Research (WiSER) at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland where she has taught in the School of Computer Science and Statistics and Centre for Gender and Women's Studies. Her research interests are: gender and STEMM, equality and diversity, work/life balance, the gender pay gap, family leave policies and gender in entrepreneurship and academic leadership. During her academic career, Professor Drew has been involved in research, training and consultancy for numerous international gender related projects for the Council of Europe and European Commission.

Read more: Prof Eileen Drew

Daan du Toit

Deputy Director-General: International Cooperation and Resources, Department for Science and Technology, South Africa.

Chair and Welcome
Ministerial dinner

Daan du Toit has held various positions, first in the South African Department of Foreign Affairs and since 2002 in the newly established Department of Science and Technology, related to the South Africa’s international scientific and technological (S&T) cooperation.  This included responsibility for establishing and managing the European South African Science and Technology Advancement Programme (ESASTAP) - a dedicated platform to promote scientific and technological cooperation between South Africa and the European Union.  He has also represented South Africa in various multilateral forums dedicated to international S&T cooperation, including for example the OECD Global Science Forum, the Group on Earth Observations in which establishment he had played a central role and bodies of the United Nations.  

Read more: Daan du Toit

Dr Kimarie Engerman

Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Virgin Islands. 

A Translation from Theory to Practice
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Women of the African Diaspora in STEM Academic Leadership

Kimarie Engerman is a graduate of Bowie State University and Howard University.  She was a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education. Dr Engerman is presently an Associate Professor of Psychology and the Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI).  She has served as principal investigator and co-principal investigator on various grants.  Prior to her appointment as Interim Dean, Dr Engerman served as a Provost Fellow.

Read more: Dr Kimarie Engerman

Prof Jane English

Associate Professor, Head of Department, Professional Communication Studies and Services Department (PCS), Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa.

Bringing about substantial change in gender composition of engineering and technology fields: lessons from the construction sector (download presentation here )
Topic C: Sex and gender knowledge, improving people’s lives

English’s work in the past eight years encompasses communication, gender and the construction industry: the fields being intrinsically entwined and based in the government’s drive to change the balance of gender in the workplace. In exploring these issues, she has worked mainly in the construction industry.

Read more: Prof Jane English

Meredith Evans

Researcher, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa.

Panelist
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender Monitoring and Evaluation

Meredith Evans is a Research Associate in the Office of the CEO at the HSRC where she works on research projects related to public health, HIV, gender and sexuality. She has an MA in Gender Studies from Central European University, Hungary and a Bachelor of Music with Honours in Musicology from Dalhousie University, Canada.

Read more: Meredith Evans

Dr Kyle Farmbry

Acting Dean of the Graduate School and  Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA), Rutgers University-Newark, USA.

Chair
Topic E: Funders affecting change in research strategies and priorities

Prior to joining the faculty of Rutgers, Farmbry taught at The University of Texas at San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas, San Diego State University in San Diego, California and Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has also served as a visiting lecturer at the University of Gdansk in Gdansk, Poland, Benxi University in Benxi, China, and for the municipality of Orastie, Romania. Dr Farmbry's current research interests are in the areas of intersectoral dynamics, private and independent sector entrepreneurial development, the roles of the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in facilitating minority enterprise development, and the role of community voice in public administration. He has presented his research throughout the United States, as well as in Australia, The United Kingdom, Sweden, The Netherlands, and South Africa.

Read more: Dr Kyle Farmbry

Dr Divine Fuh

Lecturer, Anthropology Section, AXL, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Facilitator
Theme 2 report: Gender Expertise and People Wrap Up

Dr Divine Fuh is a lecturer in Social Anthropology at the University of Cape Town, in the School of African and Gender Studies, Anthropology and Linguistics. He holds a B.Sc. (Honours) in Journalism & Mass Communication, and Political Science from the University of Buea in Cameroon, MA in Development Studies from the University of Botswana, and a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the University of Basel in Switzerland.

Read more: Dr Divine Fuh

Lindiwe Gama

Deputy Director: Multilateral Cooperation Department of Science and Technology, South Africa.

Moderator
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender and Engineering

Ms Lindiwe Gama started working for the government of South Africa in 1998. She holds a She has served as a government administrator at the Department of Home Affairs, Environmental Affairs, and Office of the Public Service Commission. She Joined the Department of Science and Technology in 2008, where she is serving as a Deputy Director: Multilateral Cooperation. Her work involves championing relations and collaborations with various science related multilateral organisation. Her work has contributed in strengthening the South African National System of Innovation. Her qualifications includes a Msters in Public Administration from the University of Pretoria.

Read more: Lindiwe Gama

Prof Glenda Gray

President, South African Medical Research Council (MRC), South Africa.

The gender context of interventions (download presentation here )
Topic C: Sex and gender knowledge, improving people’s lives

Prof Gray is the President of the Medical Research Council in South Africa, a non-Executive Director at the Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), in Soweto, South Africa, and a Professor of Paediatrics in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand. Her prior research has focused on: Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission studies, Pediatric treatment trials, large scale HIV clinical trials (including HIV vaccine trials); TB, influenza and HPV vaccine studies in infants, children, adolescents and adults. She has been the recipient of multiple grants from the NIH, including an R21 and a U01. In 2009, she received the N'Galy Mann Lectureship award at The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI).

Read more: Prof Glenda Gray

Dr Bheki Hadebe

Director: High End Skills, Department of Science and Technology, South Africa.

Chair
Topic F: International collaborations in gender and science

Bheki Hadebe is the Director; High-End Skills in the Department of Science and Technology (DST). In this capacity he is responsible for all policy development and funding of programmes aimed at the development of high-level skills in the areas of Science, Engineering and Technology in South Africa. This responsibility entails oversight responsibility over a number of agencies and human capital development initiatives.  Some of the flagship human capital development initiatives he oversees include the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI), the Centres of Excellence (CoEs), and the Internship programme which are implemented through the National Research Foundation (NRF).

Read more: Dr Bheki Hadebe

Prof Max Haller

Professor, Institute of Sociology, Karl Franzens-Universität Graz, Austria.

The International Social Survey Programme as a gender-sensitive comparative project. Possibilities, achievements and limits (download presentation here )
Topic G: Building Africa’s scientific human capital

Max Haller, born 1947 in Sterzing (Italy), Dr.phil. University of Vienna, Dr. phil. habil. University of Mannheim (Germany), since 1985 professor of sociology at the University of Graz (Austria). 1986-89, president of the Austrian Sociological Association; member of the Austrian Academy of Science; 1988-92 co-founder and 1999-2001 Vice-President of the European Sociological Association, now Honorary Member of this association. 1984-85 co-founder of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP). Visiting professor at the Universities of Klagenfurt and Innsbruck (Austria), Mannheim and Heidelberg (Germany), Trento (Italy), Sta. Barbara (California, USA) and St. Augustine University of Tanzania (Tanzania).

Read more: Prof Max Haller

Dr Jo Handelsman

Associate Director for Science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, USA.

Opening remarks (watch the video here )
Opening Plenary Day 1

Dr Jo Handelsman is the Associate Director for Science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in June of 2014. Dr. Handelsman helps to advise President Obama on the implications of science for the Nation, ways in which science can inform U.S. policy, and on Federal efforts in support of scientific research.  Prior to joining OSTP, Dr. Handelsman was the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and Frederick Phineas Rose Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University. She previously served on the University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty as a Professor in Plant Pathology from 1985 to 2009 and as Professor and Chair of the Department of Bacteriology from 2007 to 2009. In 2013, she served as President of the American Society for Microbiology. From 2002 to 2010, Dr. Handelsman was the co-founder and co-director of the Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching, the Yale Center for Scientific Teaching, and the National Academies Summer Institute on Undergraduate Education in Biology, programs focused on teaching principles and practices of evidence-based education to current and future faculty at colleges and universities nationwide.  Dr. Handelsman is an advocate for science education and women in science, and in 2011 received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mentoring.   Dr. Handelsman also co-chaired the PCAST working group that developed the 2012 report, “Engage to Excel,” which contained recommendations to the President to strengthen STEM education to meet the workforce needs of the next decade in the United States.  Dr. Handelsman received a B.S. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Leshell Hatley

Founder and Executive Director, Uplift Inc; Board Member, Juxtopia® Imhotep, International.

Panelist
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Entrepreneurship by Women STEM
Rapporteur
Topic G: Building Africa’s scientific human capital

Leshell Hatley is a computer engineer, educator, and innovator who leads teams of enthusiastic students and professionals towards innovative tech-based product designs to improve human performance.  One current project is wearable tele-health platform to significantly prevent & and manage health disparities that adversely impact populations around the world starting with United States populations at risk for health disparities. This band is a consumer-friendly & wearable device platform capable of non-invasively preventing, diagnosing, and capturing data for a set of disease, illness, and injury disparities.  Other projects focus on tangible learning technologies, intelligent tutors, oral hygiene, and augmented reality goggles. 

Read more: Leshell Hatley

Dr Christine Jost

Participation and Impact Scientist, World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya.

The CCAFS-CGIAR Gender and Climate Change Toolbox (download presentation here )
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender and Agriculture

Dr Christine C. Jost Chris is a Participation and Impact Scientist who specializes in the relationship between climate change, gender and equity, socio-ecological health, emerging and transboundary diseases, innovation and institutional change. Her core competencies include participatory approaches to research; epidemiology; program design, management and evaluation based on theories of change and impact pathways; policy analysis and change; institutional analysis and capacity building; facilitation and training; professional writing; and team building.  

Read more: Dr Christine Jost

Dr Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg

Director, African Women in Agricultural Research (AWARD), International.

Accelerating Agricultural gains through the AWARD fellowship (download presentation here )
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender and Agriculture

Dr Kamau-Rutenberg is the Director of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD). Through its investments in Africa’s leading women agricultural scientists, AWARD serves as a catalyst for innovations with high potential to contribute to the prosperity and well-being of African small holder farmers.  Dr Kamau-Rutenberg has received widespread recognition for her work investing in women, including being honored as a White House Champion of Change, named one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African magazine, recognized as a Ford Foundation Champion of Democracy, awarded the  United Nations Intercultural Innovation Award, and named one of Kenya’s Top 40 Women Under Age 40 among others.  

Read more: Dr Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg

Androulla Kaminara

Principal Adviser - EuropeAid - Outreach Activities for Development, European Commission, International.

The European Year of Development 2015 and the Gender Dimension of Development Cooperation
Topic H: Tackling challenges through social knowledge

Androulla Kaminara has been working for the European Commission since 1991 where she is currently Principal Adviser - EuropeAid - Outreach Activities for Development. Androulla Kaminara was an Academic Visitor in 2013-14 at the European Studies Centre, St.Antony's College, Oxford University, and the EU Fellow at St Antony's College, University of Oxford, in 2012-13. Between 2008-12 Ms Kaminara was the Head of the European Commission’s Representation in Cyprus. Previously she was the Director for Quality of Development Cooperation Operations in all third countries, Head of Unit for geographic coordination for 44 African and Caribbean countries as well as member of cabinet of two Commissioners.

Read more: Androulla Kaminara

Sacha Knox

Research Specialist - Governance and Security, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa. 

Rapporteur
Topic F: International collaborations in gender and science

Sacha Knox is a research specialist for the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA), a programme within the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), where she works within the Governance and Security unit. She has an MA in Development Studies, with a specialisation in Conflict, Reconstruction and Human Security from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), in The Hague, Netherlands.

Read more: Sacha Knox

Dr Lisa Kolovich (GS5A)

Economist, International Monetary Fund (IMF), International.

Gender Budgeting: Measurement and Evaluation
Topic E: Funders affecting change in research strategies and priorities

Lisa Kolovich is an economist at the International Monetary Fund and is currently working on a two-year joint research project funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).  One key area of her research will assess gender budgeting initiatives as a tool for addressing gender inequalities through the government budget and develop a quantitative approach to assessing whether these gender budgeting initiatives have been successful in their immediate objectives to influence fiscal policies, and in their ultimate objectives to eliminate gender disparities and improve economic outcomes. Other work looks at the relationship between output diversification, growth, and gender inequality and shows that increasing the level of female education can strengthen a country’s resilience against shocks and enhance growth potential.  

Read more: Dr Lisa Kolovich (GS5A)

Dr Andrea Lawrence

Associate Professor and Chair of Computer Science, Spelman College, USA.

Panelist
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender, Technology and Communities of the Future

Dr Andrea Lawrence is Associate Professor and Chair of Computer Science at Spelman College, a liberal arts, historically Black college for women in Atlanta, GA.  She received her B.S. degree in mathematics from Purdue University, and her Ph.D. in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology. A member of the Spelman College faculty for 30 years, she teaches a wide variety of courses and supervises independent study projects in the areas of human computer interaction and remote sensing related to Antarctic ice.

Read more: Dr Andrea Lawrence

Prof Heisook Lee (GS5A)

President of Center for WISET (Women in Science, Engineering & Technology), Seoul, Korea.

Introducing the Gender Summit to Asia Pacific (download presentation here )
Plenary Day 2

Heisook Lee received the B.S. M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Mathematics from Ewha Womans University, Korea and University of British Columbia and Queen’s University, Canada in 1971, 1974 and 1978 respectively. Worked at Universitat Regensburg, Germany as a postdoctoral fellow, she was appointed Professor of Mathematics at Ewha Womans University in Seoul Korea. Professor Lee was Dean of College of Natural Sciences and Dean of Research affairs at Ewha between 1995 and 1997, 1997 and 2001. She served as Dean of Graduate School from 2006 to 2008.

Read more: Prof Heisook Lee (GS5A)

Pali Lehohla

Statistician General: South Africa, Statistics South Africa, South Africa.

Ensuring access to reliable information for transformative change
Topic B: Learning from and overcoming gender disparities through research

Pali Lehohla is the Statistician General: South Africa since 2000.  He is the Chair of Africa Symposium for Statistical Development, the Chair for the Sub-Group on Harmonization of Statistics in Africa and he is a member of the UN Secretary General Independent Expert Advisory Group on Data Revolution.  From 2005 to 2013, he served in a variety of international functions: Chair of the United Nations Statistics Commission, Chair of Statistics Commission Africa and Chair of PARIS21 as well as Vice President of the ISI.

Read more: Pali Lehohla

Prof Carmen Leicht-Scholten (GS5A)

Head of Department, Gender and Diversity in Engineering (GDI), Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University RWTH Aachen, Germany.

Socially responsible research in engineering: solutions fit for all!
Topic B: Learning from and overcoming gender disparities through research

Carmen Leicht-Scholten PhD, Bs is Vice Dean for Studies Affair at the faculty of civil engineering. She is Head of the GDE Department for Gender and Diversity in Engineering, where she is working with an interdisciplinary team of engineers, natural scientists and social scientists. Prof Leicht-Scholten was participating in the development of the Institutional Strategy of RWTH in the framework of the German Excellence Initiative.

Read more: Prof Carmen Leicht-Scholten (GS5A)

Rorisang Lekalake

Assistant Project Manager, Southern Africa, Afrobarometer, South Africa.

The Education Gender Gap in Africa—Findings from the Afrobarometer Survey (2011-2013) (download presentation here)
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender and Engineering

Rorisang Lekalake (Rori) is the Afrobarometer Assistant Project Manager in Southern Africa. She assists with the production and review of deliverables from National Partners, as well as with ensuring timely and effective implementation of all survey activities. Rori previously worked as a researcher and tutor at the University of Cape Town, in addition to prior experience at various organisations in Cape Town and abroad. She holds an MA in Political Science from the University of Cape Town and an undergraduate degree in International Relations and French Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

Read more: Rorisang Lekalake

Chris Louw

NEF Regional Manager - Cape Town, National Empowerment Fund Representative, South Africa.

Funding to address Gender Inequalities
Topic H: Tackling challenges through social knowledge

Mr Chris Louw has headed up the Western Cape Regional Office of the National Empowerment Fund since January 2012. Chris has brought with him a wealth of experience from his 24 year banking career. Prior to joining the NEF, Chris was previously employed at Standard Chartered Bank for 9 years, a leading international bank operating in emerging markets.

Read more: Chris Louw

Prof Phindile Lukhele-Olorunju

Acting Head of Section, AISA, Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa.

Welcome to the final day (download the presentation here )
Opening Plenary Day 3

Prof P.E. Lukhele-Olorunju has qualifications in Agricultural sciences; BSc Agriculture 1978 (Swaziland), MSc Plant Breeding 1982 (Nigeria) and PhD Plant Breeding/ Virology 1990 (USA). She is an internationally respected Scientist and Educator: she has worked as a researcher in Agricultural research institutions and lectured at three renowned universities (Swaziland, Nigeria and South Africa). As a researcher and educator in Nigeria, she released a number of groundnut varieties for the country and West African region and also graduated a number of international students at BSc, MSc and PhD levels. Other experiences include international consulting and management of international agricultural projects, collaborative research projects with CGIAR Institutions and University of Georgia (USA).

Read more: Prof Phindile Lukhele-Olorunju

Dr Stephanie Luster-Teasley

Associate professor, joint appointment, department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering and the department of chemical, biological and bioengineering, North Carolina A&T State University, USA.

A Translation from Theory to Practice
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Women of the African Diaspora in STEM Academic Leadership

Stephanie Luster-Teasley, Ph.D. is an associate professor with a joint appointment in the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering and the department of chemical, biological and bioengineering at North Carolina A&T State University. She joined NCA&T in 2004 after working in private industry as an environmental engineer. Her research specializations include environmental remediation, water sustainability, and engineering education. Over the last ten years, she has been driven by a deep commitment and care for her students and lauded for bringing the excitement of real-world, hands-on experience into all of her engineering courses and mentoring activities.

Read more: Dr Stephanie Luster-Teasley

Dr Kelly Mack (GS5A)

Vice President for Undergraduate Science Education and Executive Director, Project Kaleidoscope, Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), USA. 

A Translation from Theory to Practice
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Women of the African Diaspora in STEM Academic Leadership
Facilitator
Theme 4 wrap-up: Gender and Societal and Economic Development

Kelly Mack PhD is the Vice President for Undergraduate Science Education and Executive Director of Project Kaleidoscope, a non-profit organization focusing on undergraduate STEM education reform, at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).  She was the Senior Program Director for the National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE Program. Her scientific interests include Physiology and Endocrinology.

Read more: Dr Kelly Mack (GS5A)

Dr Romilla Maharaj

Executive Director, Department: Human and Infrastructure Capacity Development (HICD), National Research Foundation, South Africa.

Chair
Topic B: Learning from and overcoming gender disparities through research

Dr Maharaj currently holds the position of Executive Director Human and Infrastructure Capacity Development at the National Research Foundation (NRF). From April 2013 to August 2014 she held the position of Acting Executive Director for the South African Research Chairs Initiative and the DST-NRF Centres of Excellence. She has extensive research management experience having held Executive Management positions at the South African MRC and the HSRC prior to joining the NRF in 2006.

Read more: Dr Romilla Maharaj

Dr Sumaya Mall

Post doctoral research fellow, Department of psychiatry and mental health, University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa.

Facilitator
Theme 1 wrap-up: Gender and Scientific Research & Knowledge

Dr Sumaya Mall completed a Masters in Public Health at the University of Cape Town (UCT), a PhD at Stellenbosch University and post doctoral training in epidemiology at Columbia University in New York, United States of America. Her research and teaching areas intersect HIV/AIDS, disability studies, women's health and epidemiology. She is currently a post doctoral research fellow in the department of psychiatry and mental health at UCT where she is engaged in research on trauma for people with schizophrenia, the ethics of care for persons with severe mental illness and schizophrenia prognosis in developing countries.

Read more: Dr Sumaya Mall

Dorah Marema

President, GenderCC – women for climate justice, International.

Integrating human behaviour into understanding climate change (download presentation here )
Topic D: Building communities of gender expertise and leadership

Since 2010, Ramatsobane Dorah Marema is the President of GenderCC's Baord and one the founders of GenderCC Southern Africa. For many years, Dorah was the Executive Director of the GreenHouse Project, an environmental NGO based in Johannesburg, South Africa. There, Dorah Lebelo was responsible for setting up a variety of projects, among them a permaculture project in a park in a poor and run-down neighbourhood in Johannesburg.

Read more: Dorah Marema

Lova Marline

PhD student,  Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Organisation for Women in Science in the Developing World (OSWD) (download presentation here )
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Important early career milestones and support

Lova has been awarded the “Postgraduate Training Fellowships for Women Scientists from Sub-Saharan Africa” from the OWSD (Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World) to pursue my study at the University of Cape Town toward a PhD.  Lova is doing her PhD on the bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts) of Madagascar.

Read more: Lova Marline

Pontsho Maruping

Executive, Technology Innovation Agency, South Africa.

Panelist
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Entrepreneurship by Women STEM

Pontsho is an executive at the Technology Innovation Agency, a position she has held since early 2011 overseeing a portfolio that includes Mining and Minerals, ICT, Energy and Advanced Manufacturing. Before joining TIA she held other executive and management roles in public sector.

Read more: Pontsho Maruping

Dr Batlile Maseko

Research Specialist/Post-doctoral research fellow, HIV and AIDS, STI and TB (HAST) research programme, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa. 

Rapporteur (download presentation here )
Topic A: Benefits of STEM diversity in operation

Dr Batlile Maseko is a Research Specialist/Post-doctoral research fellow – Social Aspects of HIV and AIDS Research Alliance (SAHARA) unit within HIV and AIDS, STI and TB (HAST) research  programme at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa. He has a Dr.PH degree from the University of Limpopo (MEDUNSA campus). His research interest includes Leveraging community and peer-based approaches to impact the HIV treatment cascade among men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa, Comprehensive HIV Prevention Package for MSM in Southern Africa, Rapid review of the selected retailers in implementing HIV and AIDS workplace and outreach programme, and It works! HIV and AIDS workplace responses: A multi-country research study on Africa.

Read more: Dr Batlile Maseko

Rethabile Mashale

Program Director, Thope Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa.

Gendered choices in Education (download presentation here)
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Youth Engagement in STEM

Rethabile Mashale is Program Director of Thope Foundation and lead consultant at Rethabile Mashale Consulting. Thope Foundation is a nonprofit organization supporting primary schools girls with tutoring, leadership skills, mentoring and life skills in an effort to intercept vulnerability and support girls to achieve their dreams. She has spent the last decade working in the non-profit sector and academia.

Read more: Rethabile Mashale

Cecil Masoka

Director: Multilateral Cooperation, Department of Science and Technology (DST), South Africa.

Rapporteur (download presentation here )
Topic D: Building communities of gender expertise and leadership

Mr Cecil Masoka has worked in the private sector and consulted for government. He joined the public sector in 1999 working for Provincial departments and National departments including the Department of Public Service and Administration and National Department of Health. In 2003 Mr Masoka joined the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and was responsible for establishing its donor, private sector and philanthropic unit.

Read more: Cecil Masoka

Prof Thenjiwe Meyiwa

Institutional Registrar, Durban University of Technology (DUT), South Africa.

The life of South Africa's rural womanhood: Agency of two decades and lessons for future research (download presentation here )
Topic C: Sex and gender knowledge, improving people’s lives

Professor Thenjiwe Meyiwa, a NRF Rated social scientist, is DUT’s Institutional Registrar. She is a Faculty of Arts & Design Honorary Researcher Affiliate. Prior to joining DUT she was Research Director in the Education and Skills Development Programme at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). Her basic education schooling was done in eMahlongwa a rural village south of Durban. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Feminist Oral Studies from the University of Natal and a Mcom (Organisation and Systems Management) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Read more: Prof Thenjiwe Meyiwa

Commissioner Neven Mimica

European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, European Commission

Video address (watch the video here )
Opening Plenary Day 2

Neven Mimica is the Commissioner in charge of International cooperation and Development. He is responsible for: Ensuring the EU delivers on its commitments to the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty; Setting out the Commission and EU positions for the negotiations on the United Nations Millennium Development Goal agenda after 2015; Working with national governments to make the EU's development aid more effective; and Launching negotiations on a revised Cotonou agreement with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States.  Commissioner Neven Mimica's portfolio is managed by the Directorate General for Development and Cooperation - EuropeAid.

Read more: Commissioner Neven Mimica

Immaculate Mogotsi

Joint Chief coordinator, Multi-disciplinary Research Centre, University of Namibia, Namibia.

Development of Gender Strategies for Community Forests in Namibia (download presentation here)
 Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender and Agriculture

Ms Immaculate Mogotsi is a research fellow at the Multidisciplinary Research Centre at the University of Namibia, heading the Gender Training and Research Program since 2012. Before then she was a lecturer in the Faculty of Education in the Department of Lifelong Learning and Community Education. Ms. Mogotsi has been with the University of Namibia 10 years. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Social Work and Community Development from the University of Namibia and a Masters or Arts in Women and Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands. She is currently pursuing her Doctoral Studies in the Netherlands at the ISS. Her main research interests are Gender and Women’s issues, but have always treated the discipline as cross cutting. Her current academic work in both teaching and research cover gender based violence, women’s empowerment, sexual and reproductive health and right. An interest that has rekindled in recent years in her work is the teaching of languages, Setswana and San, particular the teaching of Ju/hoansi in schools.  Ms. Mogotsi has been instrumental in the introduction of Masters of Arts in Gender and Development, a programme that is hosted by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Department of Sociology.

Read more: Immaculate Mogotsi

Dr Benita Moolman

Researcher, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa.

Panelist
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender Monitoring and Evaluation
Facilitator
Theme 3 wrap-up: Gender and Science Systems

Benita Moolman is a Research Specialist in the Human and Social Development Unit . She holds an M (Phil) in Women and Gender Studies at the University of the Western Cape and obtained a PhD in Feminist Geography from the University of California, Davis in the United States. 

Read more: Dr Benita Moolman

Dr Keolebogile Motaung

Assistant Dean: Postgraduate Studies, Research and Innovation, Faculty of Science Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa.

The future of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine in the African Continent (download presentation here )
Topic B: Learning from and overcoming gender disparities through research

Dr Motaung started her career at TUT in March 1998 as a lecturer. In 1999, she was granted a Technikon Pretoria Research Fund Bursary and in 2001 she received DAAD (German Scholarship) to complete a Master’s degree. She then enrolled for a Master’s degree in Biomedical Technology at the former Technikon Pretoria, which she completed in 2003. In the same year she won a Catalyst Innovation Competition for the most commercially viable innovation developed at a South African University or Technikon.

Read more: Dr Keolebogile Motaung

Matshaba Mothiane

Researcher, BRICS Research Centre, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa.

Moderator
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Youth Engagement in STEM

Ms Matshaba Mothiane is a researcher in the BRICS Research Centre and the HSRC. She holds a Masters degree in Political Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand where she also completed an undergraduate in Law. Her research interests and recent work cover areas such as African and global Governance architectures, the BRICS and emerging economies, regional integration, social justice and social transformation.

Read more: Matshaba Mothiane

Prof Sibusiso Moyo

Director for Research and Postgraduate Study, Durban University of Technology, South Africa.

On Baseline Inputs and Outputs to Increase Participation Rates in Higher Education in Africa (download presentation here )
Topic G: Building Africa’s scientific human capital

Professor S Moyo holds a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Natal, Durban. She has served in various capacities and levels at the Durban University of Technology as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Director and Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics. Currently she is the Director for Research and Postgraduate Support at the Durban University of Technology and is responsible for research policy development, implementation and evaluation. She has published extensively in both international journals and presented at both international and national conferences in her field and is involved in the supervision of Masters and Doctoral students.

Read more: Prof Sibusiso Moyo

Dr Tendai Mugwagwa

AIMS Alumni, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

AIMS: Engaging women and men in the promotion of gender equality and inclusion in science 
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Youth Engagement in STEM

Having graduated from AIMS in 2004, Dr Tendai Mugwagwa proceeded to study biomathematics at the University of Cape Town in 2005, before completing her PhD in theoretical immunology at Trecht University in 2010. In 2011, she conducted post-doctoral research on theoretical immunology, focusing on modelling influenza at Rochester University in the United States. Dr Mugwagwa is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the Imperial College London. Dr Mugwagwa’s research focuses on mathematical modelling of data on T lymphocyte dynamics. She is interested in developing mathematical models to interpret experimental data as well as quantify turnover rates of different cell subsets.

Read more: Dr Tendai Mugwagwa

Dr Zanele Ndaba

Senior Lecturer, Human Resources Management, Witwatersrand University, South Africa.

Getting more out of STEM through effective management
Topic H: Tackling challenges through social knowledge

Zanele Ndaba is a Senior Lecturer at Wits Business School.  Her research interests focus on gender and race inequalities in Organizational Studies.  Prior to her academic career, Dr Ndaba was a management consultant at Star Consulting and Deloitte, respectively. As a practitioner, she was involved on several projects aimed at transforming key organizations. She has also worked for the South African government in roles that concentrate on change processes.

Read more: Dr Zanele Ndaba

Sibusiso Nkomo

Communications Coordinator, Southern Africa, Afrobarometer, South Africa

Chair
Topic G: Building Africa’s scientific human capital

Sibusiso Nkomo is the Afrobarometer Communications Coordinator in Southern Africa. He manages the survey's communications activities in 10 countries, including Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. He also assists the Afrobarometer network operations manager for communications in project management, communications strategy, public relations and training. He is a former policy researcher and political journalist. He is studied at Stellenbosch University and is pursuing postgraduate studies at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Read more: Sibusiso Nkomo

Dr Narcrisha S. Norman

Research Associate, Mechanical Engineering Department, Howard University, USA.

Panelist
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Entrepreneurship by Women STEM
Moderator
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Women and STEM careers: exchanging Insights and best practice

Dr Narcrisha Norman is a Research Associate at Howard University where she conducts research in cryogenics and aerodynamics related projects.  Dr Norman obtained her PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Old Dominion University (ODU).  She obtained her MS and BS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC).  She is a practicing entrepreneur, inventor and a former United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) turbo machine patent examiner.

Read more: Dr Narcrisha S. Norman

Yoliswa Ntsepe

Researcher, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa.

Panelist
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender Monitoring and Evaluation

In the past five years Ms Yoliswa Ntsepe has been a Co-Investigator in a number of studies at the Human Sciences Research Council within the HIV/AIDS, STI and TB Unit. In the fourth national HIV survey she coordinated field work which entailed recruiting and training field staff (data collectors, editors and supervisors), overseeing data and specimen collection. She served as the co-Project Director in the Marang Men’s Project which was an HIV bio- behavioural survey that was conducted among MSM. 

Read more: Yoliswa Ntsepe

Savannah Nuwagaba

AIMS Alumni, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Rapporteur
Topic C: Sex and gender knowledge, improving people’s lives

Savannah Nuwagaba from Uganda completed the AIMS Diploma in June 2011. She obtained her Master’s degree in Biomathematics at the Stellenbosch University and is currently pursuing her PhD at Stellenbosch. Her desire to join AIMS was triggered by the research opportunities which are opened up for AIMS students.  “When I was offered the bursary and started my studies there, all my expectations were met - and more. The learning environment where students interact with their lecturers, who are so committed to sharing their knowledge, is one of those experiences that made me dream of going back home to share the knowledge I have acquired, in a similar manner.”

Read more: Savannah Nuwagaba

Dr Dorothy Nyambi

Executive Vice President, The Next Einstein Initiative Secretariat, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), AIMS - Global Secretariat, International.

Increasing female participation in Science through international collaboration (download presentation here )
Topic F: International collaborations in gender and science
AIMS: Engaging women and men in the promotion of gender equality and inclusion in science (download presentation here)
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Youth Engagement in STEM

Dr Dorothy Nyambi is head of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Global network’s programs and operations. An international development practitioner and a certified Evaluator for 20+ years, she trained as a Physician in Cameroon following her Undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin. She completed her postgraduate education at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and University of Toronto focusing on health systems strengthening, measurements and metrics.

Read more: Dr Dorothy Nyambi

Prof Faith Osier

Clinical Research Fellow and Group Leader, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya.

An early stage researcher
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Important early career milestones and support

Faith obtained an MBChB degree in 1996 at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. She specialized in Paediatrics, becoming a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health UK in 2003 and a Consultant Paediatrician in Kenya in 2009. In 2004 she undertook a Masters in Human Immunity at Liverpool University, UK, graduating with distinction, and winning the best student of the year prize. She has a PhD from the Open University, UK and works as a Clinical Research Fellow and Group Leader at the KEMRI-CGMR-C in Kilifi, Kenya. 

Read more: Prof Faith Osier

Dr Peggy Oti-Boateng

Senior Programme Specialist/Coordinator of The African Network of Scientific and Technological Institutions (ANSTI), UNESCO, MSRO, Harare, Zimbabwe; GenderInSITE Regional Focal Point for East Africa.

Harnessing science and collaborating to solve human basic needs (download presentation here )
Topic E: Funders affecting change in research strategies and priorities

Dr Peggy Oti-Boateng is the Senior Programme Specialist for Science and Technology and also serves as the Coordinators for the African Network of scientific and Technological Institutions (ANSTI) in the UNESCO Multi-Sectoral Regional Office in Harare, Zimbabwe.  Dr Oti-Boateng has over 32 years working experience in teaching, research and development of technologies for sustainable development and STI policy.  As UNESCO Senior Advisor for Africa on Science, Engineering and Technology and ANSTI coordinator she provides technical assistance and support to the African Union Commission, regional economic blocks, member states and universities in the promotion of science technology and Innovation (STI) policies and access to knowledge; mobilization of broad-base participation in STI and; human resource and research capacity building in basic and engineering sciences and renewable energy, with a passion for promotion of gender in science and engineering.

Read more: Dr Peggy Oti-Boateng

Minister Naledi Pandor

Minister of Science and Technology, South Africa.

Keynote address (download presentation here )
Opening Plenary Day 1

Naledi Pandor is South Africa’s Minister of Science and Technology. A life of exile from 1961 until 1984 resulted in an international flavour to her education. She holds a BA from the University of Botswana and Swaziland and an MA in Education from the University of London. In 1992 she studied for a Diploma in Higher Education, Administration and Leadership at Bryn Mawr in the USA. In 1997 she completed an MA in Linguistics at the University of Stellenbosch and a Diploma in Leadership in Development at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, while she was serving as an MP. 

Read more: Minister Naledi Pandor

Dr Youngah Park (GS5A)

President, Korean Institute for Science and Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP), South Korea.

Transition to the Creative Economy: Gender Perspective (download the presentation here  ) 
Opening Plenary Day 3 

Dr Youngah Park serves as the President of Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP) since 2013. She is a Professor of Statistical Mechanics at the Department of Physics at Myongji University since 1989.  After completing her undergraduate studies at Seoul National University majoring in Physics, she received her PhD in Statistical Mechanics at  the University of Pennsylvania in 1987. Her research areas include critical phenomena, neural networks, soft matter, and biological physics. She has been the chair of the Women in Physics working group of Association of the Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS) since 2006 and chaired the local organizing committee of the 3rd International Conference on Women in Physics (ICWIP) in 2008.

Read more: Dr Youngah Park (GS5A)

Dr Anne Pépin

Director, Mission for the Place of Women at CNRS, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France.

INTEGER INstitutional Transformation for Effecting Gender Equality in Research (download presentation here  )
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Driving Equality and Excellence

Dr Anne Pépin heads the Mission for the Place of Women at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (Mission pour la place des femmes au CNRS) since 2012. This strategic unit is in charge of designing, coordinating the implementation, and assessing all actions aimed at fostering gender equality within the organisation. Anne Pépin also co-leads the Gender Challenge Programme (Défi Genre) launched by the CNRS Mission for Interdisciplinarity in 2012 to develop a gender perspective in scientific fields outside social science and humanities, including in health research. She is a CNRS senior researcher, specialised in nanotechnology, and holds a B.Sc. in Physics from the Université de Montréal, Canada, an Engineering Degree from the Ecole Supérieure d’Electricité, France, and a PhD in Electronics from the Université Paris 6, France.

Read more: Dr Anne Pépin

Prof Peter Piot

Director & Professor of Global Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Disease, UK.

Video address - Welcome (watch the video here )
Opening Plenary Day 1

Peter Piot is the Director of the School and a Professor of Global Health.  He is the Chair of the MRC Global Health Group and a member of the MRC Strategy Board.  He is a member of the Board of the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund in Tokyo and of the Oxford Martin Commission on Future Generations.  Previously he was President of the Internatioanl AIDS Society and Chair of the King Baudouin Foundation and Chair if the European Froum for Forward Looking Activities.  In 2009-2010 he was the Director of the Institute for Global Health at Imperial College, London.

Read more: Prof Peter Piot

Dr Elizabeth Pollitzer (GS5A)

Director, Portia Ltd, Gender Summit founder, UK.

The Gender Summits - a global movement (download presentation here )
Opening Plenary Day 2
Keynote address (download presentation here  )
Closing Plenary Day 3

Elizabeth Pollitzer PhD is founder and Director of Portia, an organization devoted to improving gender equality in STEM and promoting the inclusion of the gender dimension in STEM. She has 20 years’ experience teaching and researching in the Departments of Computing and Management at Imperial College, University of London. Her original training was in Biophysics. She now applies this scientific background to her work as director of Portia. Portia was the coordinator of the genSET project, the Gender Summits were established as part of the genSET project.

Read more: Dr Elizabeth Pollitzer (GS5A)

Viviane Ralimanga

Gender Programme Specialist, Governance and Peacebuilding Cluster, Regional Service Center for Africa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International.

Integrating human behaviour into understanding climate change (download presentation here )
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender Monitoring and Evaluation

Viviane Ralimanga is the gender program specialist within the cluster on governance and peace building at the UNPD Regional Service Center for Africa. She received her Master of Science in Agronomy from Louisiana State University USA after graduating from the Madagascar University on Agronomic Sciences. She has spent almost 10 years of her professional life working for the promotion of environmental protection and sustainable development.

Read more: Viviane Ralimanga

Dr Nithya Ramanathan

President and Co-Founder, Nexleaf Analytics, USA.

Panelist
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender, Technology and Communities of the Future

Dr Nithya Ramanathan is the President and Co-Founder of Nexleaf Analytics.  Dr Ramanathan brings over 16 years of experience as a computer scientist to the development of mHealth and mobile phone based sensing applications, including her work in research and hardware development at Intel and Hewlett-Packard. Dr Ramanathan's work includes building systems for monitoring air pollution, wildlife conservation, cookstove financing, behavioral interventions, water access and coldchain monitoring around the world.

Read more: Dr Nithya Ramanathan

Dr Elizabeth Rasekoala

Co-Chair, Pan-African Solidarity Education Network (PASEN), International.

Creating inclusive and integrated science and technology sector
Topic A: Benefits of STEM diversity in operation

Dr Elizabeth Rasekoala is the Initiator and Co-Chair of the Pan-African Solidarity Education Network (PASEN). PASEN’s membership currently includes members from 22 African countries, and the African Diaspora in the US, UK, Canada, the Caribbean Region, Brazil and Columbia. She is also the Co-Founder & Chairperson of Green Shift Africa; a founder member of SET4Women, the South African Government Reference Group on Gender, Science and Technology; and the Founder of the African-Caribbean Network for Science & Technology (ACNST). Dr Rasekoala is a chemical engineer with 20 years’ work experience in the Oil & Gas and Petro-chemicals industry internationally.  

Read more: Dr Elizabeth Rasekoala

Prof Vasu Reddy

Executive Director, Human and Social Development Research Programme, Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa.

International collaborations on health, sexuality and HIV/AIDS interventions
Topic F: International collaborations in gender and science

Professor Vasu Reddy is the Executive Director in the Human and Social Development research programme. He holds an MA in comparative literature from the University of the Witwatersrand, and a PhD in gender studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). He taught for 13 years at the University of Natal in the Faculty of Humanities, Social Science and Development where he pioneered development of undergraduate and postgraduate courses (including supervision of dissertations) in Gender Studies and Interdisciplinary Programmes.

Read more: Prof Vasu Reddy

Dr Vijay Reddy

Executive director, Education and Skills Development research programme, Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa.

Lessons from South Africa: the Top Women Award
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Women and STEM careers: exchanging Insights and best practice

Dr Vijay Reddy is the executive director of the Education and Skills Development research programme. She holds a PhD in science education from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She has extensive experience in successfully managing and overseeing large-scale, long-term collaborative research projects such as the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), from 2003 to 2011 (ongoing), the Literacy and Numeracy Research Programme funded by the Royal Netherlands Embassy (RNE), which started in 2007 and will be concluded in December 2011, and the Department of Labour Critical Research Projects (2007-2008) with follow-up research, Impact Assessment of National Skills Development Strategy II, awarded by the Department of Labour following a competitive application process. 

Read more: Dr Vijay Reddy

Dr Dalia Saad

Postdoctoral researcher, Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability Research, Unit College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa (UNISA), Johannesburg, South Africa.

Organisation for Women in Science in the Developing World (OSWD)
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Important early career milestones and support

Dalia Saad is a Postdoctoral researcher at Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, a Research Unit ast the University of South Africa (UNISA). She obtained her MSc (with distinction) (2011) and PhD (2013) in Environmental Chemistry from Wits University (South Africa). Prior to that Dalia worked as a teaching assistant (2007-2009) at the University of Khartoum where she obtained her basic degree in Chemistry in 2006. Her research interest is on water pollution issues and promoting access to clean healthy water (purification of water and wastewaters treatment). Dalia has presented her work in local and international conferences; she has also published several articles in international scientific journals. 

Read more: Dr Dalia Saad

Maria Schäfer

Scientific associate, Center of Excellence Women and Science (CEWS) at GESIS-Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences in Cologne, Germany.

INTEGER INstitutional Transformation for Effecting Gender Equality in Research (download presentation here )
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Driving Equality and Excellence

Maria Schäfer is a scientific associate at the Center of Excellence Women and Science CEWS at GESIS-Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences in Cologne, Germany. She holds a diploma in Area Studies Latin America, having studied at the University of Cologne and the University of Guadalajara, and graduated from the College of Europe in Bruges with a Master of Arts degree in European Political and Administrative Studies.  During her studies, Maria Schäfer worked at the Jean Monnet Chair for European Affairs at the University of Cologne.

Read more: Maria Schäfer

Ylann Schemm (GS5A)

Program Director, Elsevier Foundation, USA.

Publishers Without Borders: Promoting Indigenous Authors (download presentation here )
Topic G: Building Africa’s scientific human capital

Ylann Schemm (@ylannschemm) heads Elsevier's corporate responsibility program, which focuses on advancing women in science and developing research access in the developing world. She serves as the Program Director of the Elsevier Foundation's New Scholars program, which supports projects to help early- to mid-career women scientists balance family responsibilities with demanding academic careers, addressing the attrition of talented women scientists as well as the specific challenges faced by women scientists in low and middle income countries.

Read more: Ylann Schemm (GS5A)

Dr Leanne Seeliger

Chief Researcher, Economic Performance and Development, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa. 

Rapporteur
Topic E: Funders affecting change in research strategies and priorities

Dr Leanne Seeliger is a researcher in Economic Performance and Development at the Human Sciences Research Council in Cape Town. She is currently working on an NRF funded research project entitled: Resilient Cities: Towards a New Green Growth Path. Dr Seeliger obtained her DPhil at Stellenbosch University in 2009. Before joining the HSRC, she was actively involved in an environmental non- governmental organization in Stellenbosch. She also lectured in environmental philosophy at the University of Stellenbosch and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Her other area of research interest includes how environmental and social justice values are included in national and local budget priorities.

Minister Susan Shabangu

Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Republic of South Africa.

Keynote address (download transcript here )
Ministerial dinner and Opening Plenary Day 2

Ms Susan Shabangu is the Minister in The Presidency responsible for Women, with effect from 25 May 2014. She was previously Minister of Mineral Resources from 11 May 2009 until 24 May 2014.  She has been a member of the African National Congress (ANC) National Working Committee since December 2007 and a member of the National Executive Committee of the ANC since 2002 to date.

Read more: Minister Susan Shabangu

Prof Olive Shisana

Chief Executive Officer, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa.

The first Gender Summit Africa 
Opening Plenary Day 1 (download presentation here )
Closing Plenary Day 2 (download presentation here)

Prof Shisana ScD holds a Doctor of Science from Johns Hopkins University and  is Chief Executive Officer of the HSRC, Honorary Professor at the University of Cape Town and immediate past President of the International Social Science Council. Prior to this she served as HSRC’s Executive Director of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS and Health and previously Executive Director, Family and Community Health,  World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. She continues to serve on the Executive Committee of the ISSC.

Read more: Prof Olive Shisana

Prof Virginija Šidlauskiene

Head of Gender Studies and Research Centre of Šiauliai University, Lithuania.

INTEGER INstitutional Transformation for Effecting Gender Equality in Research (download presentation here 
 watch the video )

Knowledge Exchange Forum: Driving Equality and Excellence

Professor Dr. Virginija Šidlauskiene, has a background in physics and is an associate professor of social science in pedagogies. She is a researcher at the Institute for Gender Studies of Siauliai University, and teaches at the Universities of Siauliai and Vilnius. She is a member of the Expert Forum of The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) and the Group of Specialists on Gender Equality Standards and Mechanisms at European Council, the EU expert on gender equality issues, indicators and equal opportunities and Lithuania’s national gender equality policy expert.

Read more: Prof Virginija Šidlauskiene

Chemutai Angela Siele

Masters Candidate, Agriculture and Life Sciences, Graduate Fellow-Institute for African Development (IAD), Cornell University, USA.

Moderator
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender and Agriculture

Chemutai Angela Siele is an African-change agent who brings a unique blend of skills acquired through extensive experiences in the fields of agribusiness and international development. As a Master's Candidate in Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, she is working to harness an in-depth knowledge of global food security issues, while exercising excellent research and writing skills. 

Read more: Chemutai Angela Siele

Prof Sonya T. Smith

Professor and Chair Department of Mechanical Engineering Howard University, USA.

Moderator
 Knowledge Exchange Forum: Entrepreneurship by Women STEM
Lessons from the USA: ADVANCE in the USA (download presentation here)
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Women and STEM careers - exchanging insights and best practice

Prof Sonya T. Smith joined the Howard University faculty in 1995 and is the first tenured female faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She obtained her Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from The University of Virginia (UVA) in 1995 and was also the first African-American woman to do so.  In 2010 she became the first woman promoted to the highest academic rank of Professor (full) in this department and the following year 2011 became the first women appointed as Mechanical Engineering Department Chair at Howard University.

Read more: Prof Sonya T. Smith

Wole Solana

AIMS Alumni, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

AIMS: Engaging women and men in the promotion of gender equality and inclusion in science
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Youth Engagement in STEM

Wole is a Nigerian graduate of AIMS-South Africa in 2007. Currently completing his PhD in Bioinformatics at UCT, he also works fulltime as a Software developer at ThoughtWorks, based in Johannesburg. Wole applies Mathematics and computational skills in his research work while developing a clinical diagnostic model for Latent Tuberculosis Infection. Over and above employing mathematical and statistical modelling techniques in analysing and understanding complex data sets, Wole utilises his Mathematical problem solving skills on a daily basis to help solve problems for clients in the business sector. Being able to think in a logical fashion is a critical skill for a software developer as it helps in breaking down complex problems into smaller modules that can be solved more easily.

Read more: Wole Solana

Dr Orlando Taylor

Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Research, Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, CA  and Washington, DC, USA.

Ensuring access and equity in research: lessons from USA (download presentation here )
Topic A: Benefits of STEM diversity in operation

Orlando L. Taylor is currently Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Research at Fielding Graduate University. He is also the Principal Investigator and Director for an NSF-funded grant at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology to advance women in the STEM fields into leadership positions at the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities and at Tribal Colleges.

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Christine Theron

Programme Coordinator, Thope Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa.

Gendered choices in Education (download presentation here )
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Youth Engagement in STEM

Christine Theron is  Programme Coordinator at Thope Foundation.  Having spent the last few years abroad working in different cultural and educational systems in South Korea and Mexico, she returned to Cape Town with a keen interest in the plight of  women and girls living in vulnerable situations. As a result, her research area and much of her work with Thope Foundation is concerned with understanding education systems, their role in promoting gender equality and alleviating poverty. 

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Daphne Michelle Titus

United States Department of State, United States Agency for International Development Senior Advisor for the Addis Ababa Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Great Lakes Region, USA.

Chair
Topic H: Tackling challenges through social knowledge
Panelist
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Entrepreneurship by Women STEM

Daphne Michelle Titus is a career member of the United States Department of State Senior Foreign Service.  One of the Department of State’s premier Africanists and senior consular officers, she is currently detailed to the USAID to serve as its Senior Advisor for the Addis Ababa Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the  Great Lakes Region, based at the USAID Mission in Kinshasa, DRC.  Ms. Titus’ most recent assignments before her detail were as the Counselor for Consular Affairs for U.S. Mission Nigeria, as the Senior Director/Diplomat in Residence for the National Capitol Region (DC, MD, DE, WV, NOVA, based at Howard University) and as the Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD) for the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa in Djibouti.  Diplomats in Residence are detailed from the Department of State to universities throughout the country to assist the Department with recruitment, build awareness of Foreign Affairs as a career path for candidates from all realms of endeavor and to assist universities and other entities in their assigned region with creating/enhancing Foreign Affairs-related programming and curricula. 

Read more: Daphne Michelle Titus

Dr Elizabeth Tranter

Associate Vice President for Research Planning, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

Panelist
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender, Technology and Communities of the Future

Dr Elizabeth Tranter  is Associate Vice President for Research Planning, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.  She serves as Associate Vice President for Research Planning in the Office of the Vice President for Research at Virginia Tech with responsibilities for facilitating interdisciplinary research, strategic planning, policy matters, review of the university’s innovation ecosystem, and implementing special initiatives of the Vice President.  She holds a B.A. in French with minors in English and Anthropology from the University of Central Missouri and an M.A. in French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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Dr Hale Ann Tufan

International Programs, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, United States.

Integrating gender expertise into interventions for improved agriculture and nutrition (download presentation here )
Topic D: Building communities of gender expertise and leadership
The NextGeneration Cassava Project (download presentation here)
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender and Agriculture

Hale Ann Tufan completed her PhD in molecular plant pathogen interactions at the John Innes Centre, UK in 2010. The same year she was awarded a Women in Triticum award to recognize her contributions to wheat research and commitment to international agricultural development. After her PhD she joined the CIMMYT International Winter Wheat Improvement Program, working in breeding program management, national and international field data collection and capacity building for visiting scientists.

Read more: Dr Hale Ann Tufan

Hema Vallabh

WomEng Co-founder, South Africa Women in Engineering (WomEng), South Africa.

WomEng - Women in Engineering (download presentation here)
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender and Engineering

Hema is a chemical engineer by profession, and a change-maker by passion! Over and above her “day-job” as a process engineer with petrochemical giant Sasol, she co-founded WomEng, an international NPO developing the next generation of female engineering leaders in Africa. Driven by her passion for people and making a difference she founded her own company - The Passionate Professional, a Leadership Incubator with a focus on incubating leaders through Mentorship.

Read more: Hema Vallabh

Dr Alastair van Heerden

Postdoc Fellow, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa. 

Rapporteur (download presentation here ) 
Topic B: Learning from and overcoming gender disparities through research

Dr Alastair van Heerden is a Postdoc Fellow at the Human Sciences Research council in South Africa. Dr van Heerden completed his PhD in 2013 looking at the public health implications of the rapid rise in ubiquitous pervasive computing. Over the past 8 years Dr van Heerden has both managed and been an investigator on a number of NIH grants. He has published on the topic of mHealth in both local and international peer-reviewed journals and is currently interested in how, and the implications of, the way technology intersects with gender.

Dr Wanda Ward (GS5A)

Director, Office of Integrative Activities, National Science Foundation (NSF), USA.

The Gender Summit Roadmap for North America (download presentation here)
 Opening Plenary Day 2
Moderator
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Gender, Technology and Communities of the Future

During her tenure at the United States National Science Foundation (NSF), Wanda E. Ward PhD has served in a number of science and engineering policy, planning and program capacities, including Head of the Office of International and Integrative Activities, Senior Advisor to the NSF Director; Assistant to the NSF Deputy Director for Human Resource Development; Deputy Assistant Director for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences; and Deputy Assistant Director, Education and Human Resources.

Read more: Dr Wanda Ward (GS5A)

Dr Christa Washington

Assistant Director of Leadership Development and Scholar-in-Residence, North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, USA.

A Translation from Theory to Practice
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Women of the African Diaspora in STEM Academic Leadership

Dr C. Ellen Washington is the Assistant Director of Leadership Development and Scholar-in-Residence at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. Previously she served seven years as Chair of the Department of Psychology and Chair of the IRB Committee at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, NC. C. Ellen recently completed the OURS Fellowship at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology where she earned a Post Doc Certificate in Academic Leadership.  In her current role as Assistant Director, she provides leadership for sustainability and growth of the Chancellor’s Leadership Academy. Dr Washington offers significant experience in academic leadership, women in leadership, higher educational learning models, strategic planning, and organizational development.

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Dr Clytrice Watson

Associate Professor of Biology, Associate Dean for Student Success, Delaware State University, Dover, DE, USA. 

A Translation from Theory to Practice
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Women of the African Diaspora in STEM Academic Leadership

Dr Watson received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Norfolk State University, Masters Degree from Delaware State University and PhD from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.  She also serves as the Director of the Research and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (REAP) and the EPSCoR High School Summer Research (HSSR) Program, which provide research opportunities for local high school students.  Past positions held include the Director of Forensic Biology, Associated Director for the MARC U*STAR program and Director for student support and scholarship.

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Dr Angelique Wildschut

Senior researcher/post-doctoral, Education and Skills Development research programme, Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa.

Beyond the Numbers: women in STEM professions and artisanal occupations in South Africa (download presentation here )
Knowledge Exchange Forum: Women and STEM careers: exchanging Insights and best practice

Dr Angelique Wildschut is a senior researcher/post-doctoral fellow in the Education and Skills Development research programme. She obtained a BA in industrial psychology, an MPhil in political management, and a DPhil in political science from the University of Stellenbosch. This work has focused on gender in the professions broadly, and the medical profession specifically. 

Read more: Dr Angelique Wildschut

Sonja N. Woods

Graduate Research Assistant, Howard University Republic of South Africa Project (HURSAP), Ph.D. Student, Department of History, Howard University, USA.

Rapporteur
Topic H: Tackling challenges through social knowledge

Sonja N. Woods, born and raised in North Carolina, has completed her fourth year as a Ph.D. student in Howard University’s Department of History.  Her primary area of interest as an African History major is southern Africa with particular focus on South Africa.  Her minor is in African Diaspora History, and she is currently conducting research on her dissertation topic “Contributions of the Southern Africa Support Project (SASP) to the Anti-Apartheid Movement in the Washington Metropolitan Area.”

Read more: Sonja N. Woods