NWU Research and Innovation Colloquium

Dr Ndivhuwo Luruli

Chief Strategist, CEO Office, NRF

Dr Ndivhuwo Luruli is the Chief Strategist in the Office of the CEO at the National Research Foundation (NRF). Prior to joining the NRF, Dr Luruli was the Executive Director of Research Development and Support at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in South Africa. In this leadership role, she was responsible for the university's research initiatives, driving its commitment to advancing research, innovation, and technological development. Her responsibilities included promoting cutting-edge research, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, and establishing partnerships with industry stakeholders and other academic institutions. Under her leadership, UJ has strengthened its reputation as a prominent research institution in South Africa and globally. She has played a vital role in facilitating high-impact research that addresses critical societal challenges and driving the University’s research strategy.

Dr Luruli holds a PhD in Science and Technology Studies from the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST), as well as an MSc (cum laude) in Conservation Ecology, both from Stellenbosch University. Her professional career in Research Management and Administration, in fact, started at the NRF more than 17 years ago, and since then, she has served in senior positions at institutions such as the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS), and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). She has also worked as a Consultant in Research Administration for a private university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In these roles, she has remained committed to advancing innovation in higher education, technological development, and societal impact. Dr Luruli is passionate about creating an inclusive and diverse research environment that supports emerging scholars. Her leadership emphasises mentoring, capacity building, and enabling early-career researchers to reach their full potential. She actively cultivates collaborations with local and international research organisations, government agencies, and the private sector. She believes that these partnerships are essential for advancing large-scale research projects and securing funding for ongoing innovation efforts.

Prof Jeffrey Mphahlele

DVC Research & Innovation

Prof Jeffrey Mphahlele (BSc, BSc Med Hons, MSc, PhD), is the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the North-West University (NWU).  He is the Chairperson of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) Board. He is a medical-biological scientist with a PhD in medical virology. Prior to joining the NWU, he was the Vice President for Research at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) (October 2014 to June 2021). He was a full-time academic at MEDUNSA (later University of Limpopo MEDUNSA Campus) in various capacities: Professor and Academic Head of the Department of Virology and the NHLS  (2005 to September 2014); Co-Director of the SAMRC/Diarrhoeal Pathogens Research Unit, which is a WHO Regional Reference Laboratory for Rotaviruses in  Africa (2010 to March 2018); and Co-founder and Head of the South African Vaccination and Immunisation Centre (SAVIC; www.savic.ac.za) hosted by Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (2005-2014). He trained, supervised, and mentored several post-doctoral, doctoral, and master students to contribute to developing the next generation of researchers.

He was elected to the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) in 2016 and is a C1-rated researcher funded by the National Research Foundation (2017-2022). His research publications focus on epidemiology, vaccination control of infectious diseases, and strengthening immunisation services and policies. He has made numerous contributions to scientific and expert committees. Currently, he has been a member of the Polio Working Group of the WHO Scientific Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) since 2016 and chaired the South African National Task Force (NTF) for Laboratory Containment of Poliovirus (2006-2018). He is a former member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 vaccines (2020-2022); the South African NITAG (National Advisory Group on Immunisation, i.e., NAGI) (2012-2021); the Committee for Medical Science of the Medical and Dental Professions Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (2012-2015); the Clinical Governance Committee of the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) (2009-2014); and the Biological Medicines Committee of the Medicines Control Council (2001-2010).

His interest in governance began in 2004 when he joined the South African Veterinary Council [category of non-veterinary representative until 2010]. Since then, he served on various governance bodies. At the national level, he chairs the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF), a broad-based stakeholder body representing over 130 organisational members in six distinct sectors of science, engineering, technology (SET) and innovation in South Africa (November 2022 to  date); has been Vice-Chairperson of the  NHLS Board (June 2020-October 2024); Advisory Board member of the National Intellectual Property Management Office (NIPMO) (from April 2023); Founding Board member of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) (2017-2021); and Board of Directors of the Poliomyelitis Research Foundation NPC (2018-2022).

Internationally, he served as the Vice-Chair of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership Association Board (2019 to 2022), Vice-Chair of the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (2015 to 2020), Founding Board Member of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (2016 to 2018), and Oversight Committee member of the Network for Education and Support in Immunisation at the University of Antwerp, Belgium (2014 to 2019).