Steering Committee
Governing Body
The DSTI-NRF CoE-MaSS is governed by a Steering Committee. The Committee meets twice a year, and consists of external individual members, founding node leaders, and ex officio members:
Chairperson
Kerstin Jordaan
Prof Kerstin Jordaan is a full professor in Mathematics in the Department of Decision Sciences at the University of South Africa and the previous part-time Executive Director of the South African Mathematics Foundation. She served the academic community as elected President of the South African Mathematical Society from 2016-2019. Her research interests are Special Functions and Orthogonal polynomials. She holds an NRF B rating and was awarded a Royal Society Newton Advanced Fellowship for her research in these areas. She currently serves as chairperson of the National Research Foundation Evaluation and Ratings panels, as Council member of AIMS South Africa, and Advisory Board member of the National Graduate Academy for Mathematical and Statistical Sciences.
CoE-MaSS Director
Bruce Watson
Prof Bruce Watson completed his PhD in multiparameter inverse spectral problems in the 1996. Following that he was a Pacific Institute of Mathematical Sciences Post Doctoral Fellow at the University of Calgary. He worked mainly in the spectral theory of differential operators and their inverse problems for many years, but recently has shifted focus to stochastic, mixing and ergodic processes in vector lattices.
DSTI representative
Sagren Moodley
Dr Sagren Moodley is currently the Director for Basic Sciences at the South African Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), where he plays a key role in shaping and implementing national policies and strategies to advance research, innovation, and the mathematical sciences, recognising their critical role in driving economic competitiveness, technological advancement, and data-informed governance. His work focuses on strengthening South Africa’s national system of innovation, with particular emphasis on building research capacity, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and supporting evidence-based decision-making across government and industry.
Through his work, he contributes to enabling an environment in which science and innovation can address complex societal challenges, including skills development, digital transformation, and sustainable development.
NRF Representative
Nathan Sassman
Mr Nathan Sassman is responsibile for Centres of Excellence, National Insitutues, Research infrastructure and Flagship programmes (CENIRIF) at the National Research Foundation (NRF). He brings extensive experience in research funding, programme management, and stakeholder engagement, working closely with universities, research entities, and government partners to align scientific priorities with national development goals. Mr Sassman is actively involved in initiatives that promote excellence, transformation, and impact within South Africa’s research system, with a particular interest in building sustainable, high-performing research communities.
Institute for Mathematical Sciences and Applications
Loyiso Nongxa
Prof Loyiso G. Nongxa is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand. He served as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits from 2003 to 2013, following his role as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). A Rhodes Scholar, he obtained his doctorate in Mathematics from the University of Oxford and has held academic positions at several universities in southern Africa. He has played a significant leadership role in the global and national mathematical sciences community, including serving as Vice-President of the International Mathematical Union (2019–2022) and Chairperson of the National Research Foundation (NRF) Board. He is currently Co-Director of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications (IMSA).
Sol Plaatje University
Dimpho Mothibi
Dr Dimpho Mothibi is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Sol Plaatje University. Her research in applied mathematics focuses on nonlinear differential equations, using Lie symmetry methods and conservation laws to derive exact solutions. She holds a PhD from North-West University and brings over a decade of academic experience, with a strong commitment to bridging theoretical mathematics and real-world applications. She is also actively involved in leadership and student development initiatives, including academic and science communication workshops.
Scientific Advisory Committee
Clare Dunning
Prof Clare Dunning is Professor of Mathematical Physics and Head of the School of Mathematics at the University of Leeds. Her research focuses on classical and quantum integrable systems, including Painlevé equations and related areas in mathematical physics and combinatorics. She is actively involved in research, teaching, and outreach, with a strong commitment to inspiring engagement with mathematics. She currently serves as the Chair of the CoE-MaSS Scientific Advisory Committee
Statistics South Africa
George Djolov
Prof George Djolov is Chief Director at Statistics South Africa designated the portfolios of Statistical Methods, and Research & Innovation in the Branch of Methodology & Statistical Infrastructure. He is also the current Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the Department of Business Statistics & Operations Research at North-West University. He has more than 25 years of progressive managerial experience at senior and/or executive level gained from working in diverse and multicultural environments in academia, organized business, and government, and gained his professorship at Stellenbosch University. He is a Wits alumnus and a past member of its School of Economic and Business Sciences. His interests include but are not limited to strategic management, the production of official statistics, data management, information processing and analysis, quantitative decision-making, and exploratory data analysis. His doctorate is distinguished by the European Doctoral Programmes Association in Management and Business Administration.
Wits Research Office
Yolanda Davids
Dr Yolanda Davids, is the Deputy Director of Research at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). Dr Davids holds a PhD in Business Management from North-West University, a Masters in Commerce from the University of Johannesburg, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of the Western Cape. Dr Davids has dedicated herself to the advancement of research and academia. Before joining Wits, she served for 12 years at the National Research Foundation, where she played a pivotal role as the Director of Grants, focusing on Student and Postdoctoral Supports.
The South African Mathematical Society
Christian Budde
Prof Christian Budde is an Associated Professor at the University of the Free State in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics.. His research interests include evolution equations and operator semigroups. He currently serves as the president of the South African Mathematical Society (SAMS).
The South African Statistical society
Daniel Maposa
Prof Daniel Maposa is a Professor schand Head of Department at the University of Limpopo in the Department of Statistics and Operations Research. His research interests lie in extreme value theory, statistics of extremes, business data modelling and disaster risk reduction. He currently serves as the president of the South African Statistical Society (SASA).
The South African Mathematics Foundation
Seithuti Moshokoa
Prof Seithuti Moshokoa is the Executive Director of the South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) and Professor and the Head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in the Faculty of Science at Tshwane University of Technology. He is commited to reshaping how mathematical sciences are taught and valued—both within classrooms and beyond.
