Our People

Adrian Erasmus
Research Associate
Adrian Erasmus is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Alabama and an associate member of the McCollough Institute for Pre-medical Scholars. He completed his PhD at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. He previously held teaching positions at the University of Johannesburg and the University of Pretoria. His research focuses on conceptual and methodological questions about medicine and the intersection of values and epistemic concerns in medical artificial intelligence.
Adrian Erasmus
Research Associate

Anthony Kaziboni
Head of Research
Anthony Kaziboni is Head of Research at the Institute for the Future of Knowledge. He holds a doctorate in Sociology from the University Johannesburg, South Africa. He researches hydropolitics, migration and social inequalities. He is the Regional Representative for South Africa for the International Sociological Association's (ISA) Clinical Sociology Research Group. In 2018 he received the prestigious Outstanding Early Career Award in Clinical Sociology by the ISA's Clinical Sociology Research Committee in Toronto, Canada. He has [co]authored publications in accredited journal and books as well as newspaper articles.
Anthony Kaziboni
Head of Research

Arthur Mutambara
Director and Full Professor
Professor Arthur Mutambara is the Director and Full Professor of the Institute for the Future of Knowledge (IFK) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). He is a world-renowned roboticist, academic, author, Pan-Africanist and technology strategist. Professor Mutambara is also the Director of IFK’s Decentralised Artificial Intelligence and Control Systems (DAICS) Research Group and drives the African Agency in Public Health (AAPH) initiative within the Future of Health (FoH) Research Group. He is the Former Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. Mutambara was one of the three Principals who created and led the Government of National Unity (GNU) from 2009 to 2013. The other two were Prime Minister Tsvangirai and President Mugabe. He is the author of a new trilogy (three books): In Search of the Elusive Zimbabwean Dream: An Autobiography of Thought Leadership. Mutambara has also published two Electrical Engineering books used extensively in the United States, Europe and Asia. He has worked as a Research Scientist at NASA, a Visiting Professor at MIT, and a Managing Consultant with McKinsey & Company, all in the United States. At UJ, Mutambara has taught Control Systems in both the Mechanical Engineering and Electrical & Electronic Engineering Departments, where he has received outstanding reviews from both students and peers. He has conducted Engineering seminars and public lectures across the continent and globally. Prof Mutambara is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), a Professional Engineer, a Fellow of the Zimbabwe Institute of Engineers (ZIE), a Fellow of the Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences (ZAS), a Senior Member of IEEE and a WEF Young Global Leader. Professor Mutambara holds a PhD in Robotics and Mechatronics (1995) and an MSc in Computer Engineering (1992), both from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Electrical Engineering (1990) from the University of Zimbabwe.
Arthur Mutambara
Director and Full Professor

Ayanda Radebe
IFK Secretary and Personal Assistant to the Director
Ayanda Radebe is the IFK Secretary and Personal Assistant to the Director. She has a diverse range of administrative backgrounds, working in various industries as a Professional Administrator and Executive Assistant. Ayanda holds Project Management Fundamentals and HR Fundamentals certificates from Wits.
Ayanda Radebe
IFK Secretary and Personal Assistant to the Director

Charis Harley
Head of Data Science Across Disciplines
Professor Charis Harley is Head of the Data Science Across Disciplines Research Group at the IFK and 4IR Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at UJ. She is an accomplished researcher in the field of computational mathematics with over 30 articles, experience at a range of elite universities, and multiple research grants. She also has experience in industry as an analyst and quantitative analyst, with practise in data analysis ranging from the use of filters; Auto-Correlation; Principal Component Analysis; Exploratory Data Analysis, to the use of more advanced methods of data analytics
Charis Harley
Head of Data Science Across Disciplines

Jabulani Sibande
Jabulani Sibande is a Youth Employment Service (YES) Intern at the Institute for the Future of Knowledge. He holds a bachelors degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand and an honours degree in African Studies from the University of Johannesburg. His honours project was on the Democratic Development State Model in African States focusing on Rwanda and South Africa. Mr Sibande is interested in the African debate on political economy and development, as well as policy-making processes on the continent.
Jabulani Sibande

Jacob Stegenga
Research Associate
Jacob Stegenga is a Reader in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, in the UK. Before joining Cambridge, he taught in the US and Canada, and he received his PhD from the University of California, San Diego. His research interests are in evidence and inference, and much of his work focuses on biology and medicine. His research employs conceptual analysis, empirical findings, and formal methods to establish prescriptive conclusions about science.
Jacob Stegenga
Research Associate

Jonathan Fuller
Research Associate
Dr Jonathan Fuller is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science (HPS) at the University of Pittsburgh, in the US, specialising in the philosophy of medicine. He is also Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the journal Philosophy of Medicine and Secretary of the International Philosophy of Medicine Roundtable Scientific Committee. He was a post-doctoral research fellow in the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto, Canada.
Jonathan Fuller
Research Associate

Joseph Mudare
Research Associate
Joseph Mudare is a senior lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, at the University of Zimbabwe. He holds a doctorate in Electric Circuits and Systems from Jilin University, China. He teaches a wide range of Control and Electronic Engineering subjects including Electronic Circuit Design, Analogue Electronics and Control Systems. Currently, he is also the faculty staff development committee representative and a member of the Faculty Higher Degrees Committee. His fields of interest for research include sliding mode control, automation and application of micro-controller based systems.
Joseph Mudare
Research Associate

Kyle Blumberg
Research Associate
Dr Kyle Blumberg is Research Fellow in the Dianoia Institute of Philosophy at Australian Catholic University, in Melbourne, Australia. Most of his work is in philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and philosophical logic. He was a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Johannesburg, and he completed his PhD in the Philosophy Department at New York University.
Kyle Blumberg
Research Associate

Lukong Shulika
Research Associate
Dr Lukong Shulika is Research Integrity Officer and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Durban University of Technology. She holds a master’s and doctoral degree in Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Dr Shulika’s research interests and publications revolve around African conflict and cooperation dynamics; conflict analysis and management; post-conflict peacebuilding, reconstruction and development; women, gender and the politics of representation in Africa; and governance and political transformation in Africa.
Lukong Shulika
Research Associate

Mat Mercuri
Research Associate
Mat Mercuri holds a PhD in Health Research Methods at McMaster University and a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto, both in Canada. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Medicine at Columbia University, in the US. Dr. Mercuri is currently an Assistant Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine, McMaster University, and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, at the University of Toronto. He was named Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice in 2018. His research interests are medical epistemology, medical practice variations, and issues around radiation exposure from diagnostic imaging.
Mat Mercuri
Research Associate

Michael Vlerick
Research Associate
Michael Vlerick is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Tilburg University, in the Netherlands. He was a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Johannesburg. His post-doctoral research dealt with the philosophical implications of the theory of evolution. His research focuses on evolutionary epistemology, evolutionary morality, cultural evolution and social ontology in particular, and the philosophical implications of evolution theory in general.
Michael Vlerick
Research Associate

Nancy Cartwright
Visiting Professor
Nancy Cartwright is a Professor of Philosophy at Durham University and a Distinguished Professor at the University of California in the United States (US). At Durham, she is also co-Director of the Centre for Humanities engaging Science and Society. Her research interests include philosophy and the history of science (especially physics and economics). Professor Cartwright has worked extensively in modelling, causal inference, causal powers, and objectivity, evidence, especially for evidence-based policy (EBP) and the philosophy of social technology. For the project 'Knowledge for Use' (K4U), her current work investigates how to use scientific research results for better policies. She has worked with others on projects in education, child protection and international development.
Nancy Cartwright
Visiting Professor

Neil Pearce
Research Associate
Neil Pearce is Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Director of the Centre for Global Non-communicable Disease, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in the UK. During 2000-2010 he was Director of the Centre for Public Health Research in the Research School of Public Health on the Massey University Wellington Campus. He continues to work in a broad range of epidemiological NCD research areas, including epidemiological methods, respiratory disease, neurological disease, cancer, diabetes, indigenous health, and occupational and environmental health research.
Neil Pearce
Research Associate

Oluwaseun Tella
Head of the Future of Diplomacy
Dr Oluwaseun Tella is the Head of the Future of Diplomacy at the University of Johannesburg’s Institute for the Future of Knowledge in South Africa. He holds a doctorate in Political Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He has authored a book entitled Africa’s Soft Power: Philosophies, Political Values, Foreign Policies and Cultural Exports (Routledge, 2021); edited three books entitled Nigeria-South Africa Relations and Regional Hegemonic Competence (Springer, 2019), From Ivory Towers to Ebony Towers: Transforming Humanities Curricula in South Africa, Africa and African-American Studies (Jacana, 2020), and A Sleeping Giant? Nigeria’s Domestic and International Politics in the Twenty-First Century (Springer, 2021); and published over 30 mostly single-authored book chapters and journal articles in Politikon, Social Dynamics, Journal of Asian and African Studies, Journal of Black Studies and elsewhere. His research interests include soft power, international relations, peace and conflict studies, African politics and knowledge production in Africa. Email: otella@uj.ac.za.
Oluwaseun Tella
Head of the Future of Diplomacy

Quill R Kukla
Research Associate
Professor Quill R Kukla is a Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University and Senior Research Scholar at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, in the US. They are Editor-in-Chief of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, and a faculty member in the Disability Studies Program at Georgetown. For 2020 and 2021, they are also a Humboldt Research Scholar at Leibniz University Hannover. Dr. Kukla's research interests within practical ethics include the ethical and social complexities of scientific knowledge production and communication, reproductive ethics and the culture of pregnancy and motherhood, public health ethics, the ethics of health communication, research ethics, methodological issues in medical research, and the social epistemology of medicine. Much of their research bridges bioethics, epistemology, and philosophy of language. They have ongoing interests in the varieties of embodiment, agency, and autonomy.
Quill R Kukla
Research Associate

Ross Harvey
Research Associate
Dr Ross Harvey is a Director of Research and Programmes at Good Governance Africa (GGA). He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Cape Town. From 2010 to 2011, Ross lectured political economy at UCT. The following year he worked as a parliamentary researcher. In mid-2013, he became a senior researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs, where he worked until 2019, joining GGA in 2020.
Ross Harvey
Research Associate

Samuel Okunade
PDRF
Dr Samuel Okunade is borders and migration specialist most especially in the areas of human trafficking and migrant smuggling in Africa. He is also interested in the nexus between social and ethnic cleavages in border communities, and economic integration and social cohesion in Africa. He has participated in the European Union-funded project on irregular migration in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. He has published several articles in reputable journals. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Education and master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and a PhD in Conflict Transformation from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Samuel Okunade
PDRF

Sridhar Venkatapuram
Research Associate
Sridhar Venkatapuram is a Senior Lecturer in Global Health and Philosophy at the King's College Global Health Institute, United Kingdom (UK). He is an interdisciplinary academic practitioner in the area of Global Health Ethics. He was previously a Lecturer and Wellcome Trust Research Fellow in Ethics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK, and an affiliated Lecturer at Cambridge University, UK. From 2008 to 2011, he was Co-Investigator on an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and UK's Department for International Development (DFID) research project.
Sridhar Venkatapuram
Research Associate

Wilson Muna
Research Associate
Dr Wilson Muna is a Lecturer in Public Policy at Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. He holds a master’s degree and doctorate in Policy and Development Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He specialises in public policy analysis, international relations, peace and security, and public management. In his wide range of publications, Dr Muna focuses on African development, especially in the areas of policy learning and integration.
Wilson Muna
Research Associate

Joseph Mudare
Research Associate
Joseph Mudare is a senior lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, at the University of Zimbabwe. He holds a doctorate in Electric Circuits and Systems from Jilin University, China. He teaches a wide range of Control and Electronic Engineering subjects including Electronic Circuit Design, Analogue Electronics and Control Systems. Currently, he is also the faculty staff development committee representative and a member of the Faculty Higher Degrees Committee. His fields of interest for research include sliding mode control, automation and application of micro-controller based systems.
Joseph Mudare
Research Associate

Jabulani Sibande
Jabulani Sibande is a Youth Employment Service (YES) Intern at the Institute for the Future of Knowledge. He holds a bachelors degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand and an honours degree in African Studies from the University of Johannesburg. His honours project was on the Democratic Development State Model in African States focusing on Rwanda and South Africa. Mr Sibande is interested in the African debate on political economy and development, as well as policy-making processes on the continent.
Jabulani Sibande

Ayanda Radebe
IFK Secretary and Personal Assistant to the Director
Ayanda Radebe is the IFK Secretary and Personal Assistant to the Director. She has a diverse range of administrative backgrounds, working in various industries as a Professional Administrator and Executive Assistant. Ayanda holds Project Management Fundamentals and HR Fundamentals certificates from Wits.
Ayanda Radebe
IFK Secretary and Personal Assistant to the Director

Arthur Mutambara
Director and Full Professor
Professor Arthur Mutambara is the Director and Full Professor of the Institute for the Future of Knowledge (IFK) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). He is a world-renowned roboticist, academic, author, Pan-Africanist and technology strategist. Professor Mutambara is also the Director of IFK’s Decentralised Artificial Intelligence and Control Systems (DAICS) Research Group and drives the African Agency in Public Health (AAPH) initiative within the Future of Health (FoH) Research Group. He is the Former Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. Mutambara was one of the three Principals who created and led the Government of National Unity (GNU) from 2009 to 2013. The other two were Prime Minister Tsvangirai and President Mugabe. He is the author of a new trilogy (three books): In Search of the Elusive Zimbabwean Dream: An Autobiography of Thought Leadership. Mutambara has also published two Electrical Engineering books used extensively in the United States, Europe and Asia. He has worked as a Research Scientist at NASA, a Visiting Professor at MIT, and a Managing Consultant with McKinsey & Company, all in the United States. At UJ, Mutambara has taught Control Systems in both the Mechanical Engineering and Electrical & Electronic Engineering Departments, where he has received outstanding reviews from both students and peers. He has conducted Engineering seminars and public lectures across the continent and globally. Prof Mutambara is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), a Professional Engineer, a Fellow of the Zimbabwe Institute of Engineers (ZIE), a Fellow of the Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences (ZAS), a Senior Member of IEEE and a WEF Young Global Leader. Professor Mutambara holds a PhD in Robotics and Mechatronics (1995) and an MSc in Computer Engineering (1992), both from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Electrical Engineering (1990) from the University of Zimbabwe.
Arthur Mutambara
Director and Full Professor

Samuel Okunade
PDRF
Dr Samuel Okunade is borders and migration specialist most especially in the areas of human trafficking and migrant smuggling in Africa. He is also interested in the nexus between social and ethnic cleavages in border communities, and economic integration and social cohesion in Africa. He has participated in the European Union-funded project on irregular migration in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. He has published several articles in reputable journals. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Education and master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and a PhD in Conflict Transformation from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Samuel Okunade
PDRF

Wilson Muna
Research Associate
Dr Wilson Muna is a Lecturer in Public Policy at Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. He holds a master’s degree and doctorate in Policy and Development Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He specialises in public policy analysis, international relations, peace and security, and public management. In his wide range of publications, Dr Muna focuses on African development, especially in the areas of policy learning and integration.
Wilson Muna
Research Associate

Lukong Shulika
Research Associate
Dr Lukong Shulika is Research Integrity Officer and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Durban University of Technology. She holds a master’s and doctoral degree in Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Dr Shulika’s research interests and publications revolve around African conflict and cooperation dynamics; conflict analysis and management; post-conflict peacebuilding, reconstruction and development; women, gender and the politics of representation in Africa; and governance and political transformation in Africa.
Lukong Shulika
Research Associate

Michael Vlerick
Research Associate
Michael Vlerick is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Tilburg University, in the Netherlands. He was a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Johannesburg. His post-doctoral research dealt with the philosophical implications of the theory of evolution. His research focuses on evolutionary epistemology, evolutionary morality, cultural evolution and social ontology in particular, and the philosophical implications of evolution theory in general.
Michael Vlerick
Research Associate

Sridhar Venkatapuram
Research Associate
Sridhar Venkatapuram is a Senior Lecturer in Global Health and Philosophy at the King's College Global Health Institute, United Kingdom (UK). He is an interdisciplinary academic practitioner in the area of Global Health Ethics. He was previously a Lecturer and Wellcome Trust Research Fellow in Ethics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK, and an affiliated Lecturer at Cambridge University, UK. From 2008 to 2011, he was Co-Investigator on an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and UK's Department for International Development (DFID) research project.
Sridhar Venkatapuram
Research Associate

Jacob Stegenga
Research Associate
Jacob Stegenga is a Reader in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, in the UK. Before joining Cambridge, he taught in the US and Canada, and he received his PhD from the University of California, San Diego. His research interests are in evidence and inference, and much of his work focuses on biology and medicine. His research employs conceptual analysis, empirical findings, and formal methods to establish prescriptive conclusions about science.
Jacob Stegenga
Research Associate

Neil Pearce
Research Associate
Neil Pearce is Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Director of the Centre for Global Non-communicable Disease, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in the UK. During 2000-2010 he was Director of the Centre for Public Health Research in the Research School of Public Health on the Massey University Wellington Campus. He continues to work in a broad range of epidemiological NCD research areas, including epidemiological methods, respiratory disease, neurological disease, cancer, diabetes, indigenous health, and occupational and environmental health research.
Neil Pearce
Research Associate

Mat Mercuri
Research Associate
Mat Mercuri holds a PhD in Health Research Methods at McMaster University and a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto, both in Canada. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Medicine at Columbia University, in the US. Dr. Mercuri is currently an Assistant Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine, McMaster University, and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, at the University of Toronto. He was named Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice in 2018. His research interests are medical epistemology, medical practice variations, and issues around radiation exposure from diagnostic imaging.
Mat Mercuri
Research Associate

Quill R Kukla
Research Associate
Professor Quill R Kukla is a Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University and Senior Research Scholar at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, in the US. They are Editor-in-Chief of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, and a faculty member in the Disability Studies Program at Georgetown. For 2020 and 2021, they are also a Humboldt Research Scholar at Leibniz University Hannover. Dr. Kukla's research interests within practical ethics include the ethical and social complexities of scientific knowledge production and communication, reproductive ethics and the culture of pregnancy and motherhood, public health ethics, the ethics of health communication, research ethics, methodological issues in medical research, and the social epistemology of medicine. Much of their research bridges bioethics, epistemology, and philosophy of language. They have ongoing interests in the varieties of embodiment, agency, and autonomy.
Quill R Kukla
Research Associate

Ross Harvey
Research Associate
Dr Ross Harvey is a Director of Research and Programmes at Good Governance Africa (GGA). He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Cape Town. From 2010 to 2011, Ross lectured political economy at UCT. The following year he worked as a parliamentary researcher. In mid-2013, he became a senior researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs, where he worked until 2019, joining GGA in 2020.
Ross Harvey
Research Associate

Jonathan Fuller
Research Associate
Dr Jonathan Fuller is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science (HPS) at the University of Pittsburgh, in the US, specialising in the philosophy of medicine. He is also Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the journal Philosophy of Medicine and Secretary of the International Philosophy of Medicine Roundtable Scientific Committee. He was a post-doctoral research fellow in the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto, Canada.
Jonathan Fuller
Research Associate

Kyle Blumberg
Research Associate
Dr Kyle Blumberg is Research Fellow in the Dianoia Institute of Philosophy at Australian Catholic University, in Melbourne, Australia. Most of his work is in philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and philosophical logic. He was a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Johannesburg, and he completed his PhD in the Philosophy Department at New York University.
Kyle Blumberg
Research Associate

Adrian Erasmus
Research Associate
Adrian Erasmus is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Alabama and an associate member of the McCollough Institute for Pre-medical Scholars. He completed his PhD at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. He previously held teaching positions at the University of Johannesburg and the University of Pretoria. His research focuses on conceptual and methodological questions about medicine and the intersection of values and epistemic concerns in medical artificial intelligence.
Adrian Erasmus
Research Associate

Nancy Cartwright
Visiting Professor
Nancy Cartwright is a Professor of Philosophy at Durham University and a Distinguished Professor at the University of California in the United States (US). At Durham, she is also co-Director of the Centre for Humanities engaging Science and Society. Her research interests include philosophy and the history of science (especially physics and economics). Professor Cartwright has worked extensively in modelling, causal inference, causal powers, and objectivity, evidence, especially for evidence-based policy (EBP) and the philosophy of social technology. For the project 'Knowledge for Use' (K4U), her current work investigates how to use scientific research results for better policies. She has worked with others on projects in education, child protection and international development.
Nancy Cartwright
Visiting Professor

Anthony Kaziboni
Head of Research
Anthony Kaziboni is Head of Research at the Institute for the Future of Knowledge. He holds a doctorate in Sociology from the University Johannesburg, South Africa. He researches hydropolitics, migration and social inequalities. He is the Regional Representative for South Africa for the International Sociological Association's (ISA) Clinical Sociology Research Group. In 2018 he received the prestigious Outstanding Early Career Award in Clinical Sociology by the ISA's Clinical Sociology Research Committee in Toronto, Canada. He has [co]authored publications in accredited journal and books as well as newspaper articles.
Anthony Kaziboni
Head of Research

Oluwaseun Tella
Head of the Future of Diplomacy
Dr Oluwaseun Tella is the Head of the Future of Diplomacy at the University of Johannesburg’s Institute for the Future of Knowledge in South Africa. He holds a doctorate in Political Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He has authored a book entitled Africa’s Soft Power: Philosophies, Political Values, Foreign Policies and Cultural Exports (Routledge, 2021); edited three books entitled Nigeria-South Africa Relations and Regional Hegemonic Competence (Springer, 2019), From Ivory Towers to Ebony Towers: Transforming Humanities Curricula in South Africa, Africa and African-American Studies (Jacana, 2020), and A Sleeping Giant? Nigeria’s Domestic and International Politics in the Twenty-First Century (Springer, 2021); and published over 30 mostly single-authored book chapters and journal articles in Politikon, Social Dynamics, Journal of Asian and African Studies, Journal of Black Studies and elsewhere. His research interests include soft power, international relations, peace and conflict studies, African politics and knowledge production in Africa. Email: otella@uj.ac.za.
Oluwaseun Tella
Head of the Future of Diplomacy

Charis Harley
Head of Data Science Across Disciplines
Professor Charis Harley is Head of the Data Science Across Disciplines Research Group at the IFK and 4IR Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at UJ. She is an accomplished researcher in the field of computational mathematics with over 30 articles, experience at a range of elite universities, and multiple research grants. She also has experience in industry as an analyst and quantitative analyst, with practise in data analysis ranging from the use of filters; Auto-Correlation; Principal Component Analysis; Exploratory Data Analysis, to the use of more advanced methods of data analytics
Charis Harley
Head of Data Science Across Disciplines