2025 Lecture Programme

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Previous Talks

Harnessing the power of genetic diversity in African populations

Prof Michèle Ramsay
Director of the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Professor in Human Genetics and SA Research Chair in Genomics and Bioinformatics at the University of the Witwatersrand
18 February 2025

Combining Astronomy with Ancient Africa : A Scientific Legacy : Toppieshoek Restoration and Conservation Project

Professor Jane Carruthers FRSSAf and Vincent Carruthers  MRSSAf
12 March 2025

The Plastic Curse: More Than Just Litter - A Study of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in South Africa

Prof Kevin Harding, MRSSAf
Director of the Green Engineering and Industrial Ecology Research Unit at University of the Witwatersrand
16 April 2025

Are scientists being heard? A perspective on the S20 Science Forum, the G20 Summit, and the role of dialogue between the scientific community and policymakers

Prof Stephanie Burton MASSAf, FRSSAf
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and Future Africa, University of Pretoria
14 May 2025

From Technique to Thought: Expanding the Horizons of STEM Postgraduate Training

Prof Faadiel Essop, FRSSAf
Director of the Centre for Cardio-metabolic Research in Africa (CARMA) at Stellenbosch University
18 June 2025

Bringing Light to the Digital Divide: Laser Links, AI, and the Future of Connectivity

Dr Mitchell Cox, MRSSAf
Meiring Naude Medal Winner and Senior Lecturer, Optical Communication Lab, School of Electrical and Information Engineering at Witwatersrand University
20 August 2025

Individuals, Ideas & Institutions: how the ‘International’ came to South Africa

Prof Peter Vale, FRSSAf
Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria
17 September 2025

Good AI, Bad AI, Nonsense AI

Dr Martin Bekker
AI Ethics Researcher and Computational Social Scientist, School of Electrical and Information Engineering at Witwatersrand University
15 October 2025