The University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, has been appointed as the Rector of the United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo, Japan.
His appointment is with effect from March 1, 2023, so Professor Marwala will stay at UJ for the next eight months to ensure a smooth transition to his successor, who is yet to be named.
UJ Council Chair, Mike Teke, congratulated Prof Marwala on his appointment.
“On behalf of UJ, we are proud of Prof Marwala for taking the reins of leadership as the first African to assume the role. A university is predicated on the various components that come together to make it work, and we have the right systems and staff in place to ensure that this is seamless transition. We congratulate Prof Marwala on this outstanding achievement, and we are proud that one of our own has attained such an honour,” Teke said.
He confirmed that Prof Marwala would stay at UJ for he next few months as the institution undertakes the processes identifying his successor.
“UJ will continue to function as normal under the leadership of Prof Marwala until this process is completed,” Teke said.
Prof Marwala’s appointment followed consultations with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), Audrey Azoulay, and with her concurrence, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
The UNU is a global think tank with 13 institutes in 12 countries. Through collaborative research and education, the UNU supports efforts to resolve the pressing global challenges of human development and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States.
UNU works in close partnership with other United Nations System organisations and leading research institutions to ensure that evidence-based research informs policy-making and generates solutions that improve the lives of people everywhere.
Prof Marwala will be the seventh Rector of the UNU, succeeding Prof David M. Malone of Canada, who has been in the role since 2013.
President Cyril Ramaphosa also congratulated Prof Marwala on his appointment, describing it as well deserved.
He said Prof Marwala is an accomplished intellectual, having obtained numerous academic qualifications from various universities nationally and internationally and having held various key roles in the global academic landscape for development.
The President expressed appreciation to Prof Marwala for his noble contribution to the country’s knowledge base and wishes him great success in his new role, where he is confident that Prof Marwala will fly the South African flag higher and further.
The Rector is the chief academic and administrative officer of the UNU and has overall responsibility for the direction, organization, administration, and programmes of the University. The position carries the rank of United Nations Under-Secretary-General and requires extensive overseas travel.
The initial appointment will be for a five-year term, with the possibility of a second term.
In announcing Prof Marwala’s appointment, UNU said the decision was taken after an extensive international search process.
Azoulay noted that Prof Marwala is an accomplished scholar and thought leader with multi-disciplinary research interests that include the theory and application of artificial intelligence to engineering, computer science, finance, social science and medicine.
“He (Prof Marwala) has an extensive track record in human capacity development and is committed to leveraging technology and global connectedness towards the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Azoulay.
Teke added that UJ was looking forward to a continued relationship with Prof Marwala.
“Prof Marwala is a leader, academic, intellectual, and thought-leader who has been active in the policy arena as well as shaping the future of UJ and the higher education sector. This calibre of leadership is deeply valued as our sector has been through the pandemic crisis and concomitant challenges. UJ will continue on its path to lead the charge as a diverse, inclusive, transformational, and collegial institution,” he said.
Prior to his appointment as the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UJ, Prof Marwala was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation, a position he held since 2013.
He has also served as the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (2009-2013). Between 2003 and 2008, Prof Marwala was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley, Wolfson College of the University of Cambridge, and Nanjing Tech University.
He has been a member of the International Consultative Council at the Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland, the International Visiting Committee at Case Western Reserve University and a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Prof Marwala holds a doctorate specialising in Artificial Intelligence and Engineering from the University of Cambridge, a Master of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pretoria and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (magna cum laude) from Case Western Reserve University.
He is a registered professional engineer, a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Science of South Africa, the African Academy of Sciences, and the South African Academy of Engineering.
Prof Marwala is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a distinguished member of the Association for Computing Machinery. He is fluent in English, Venda and Afrikaans.
EDUCATION