Prof. Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya on Research, Innovation and Women’s Leadership in Higher Education

Prof. Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya, a leading epidemiologist and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), has long been a trailblazer in higher education. Recognised with the 2024 HERS-SA Lifetime Achiever Award, she continues to champion research excellence, innovation, and women’s leadership across South Africa and beyond.

At the Women Leaders in Higher Education (WLHE) Summit 2025, Prof. Phaswana-Mafuya shared her vision for universities as transformative spaces — where knowledge production drives both global competitiveness and local impact.

As Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation at University of Johannesburg (UJ), how are you shaping a research agenda that’s both globally competitive and locally impactful?

We drive transformative and sustainable change by supporting research that changes lives, informs policy, and empowers communities. Africa must see itself not merely as a consumer of knowledge, but as a producer of solutions.

We expand impactful local and global networks and strengthen industry–academia partnerships to advance UJ’s innovations and technologies, accelerate knowledge transfer, and shape the future. We also leverage meaningful Pan-African and Global South research collaborations to address the continent’s most pressing challenges with locally grounded, globally relevant solutions.

What does receiving the 2024 HERS-SA Lifetime Achiever Award mean to you personally and professionally?

It affirms that, when given the opportunity, women can achieve whatever they set their minds to. On a personal level, it validated that the struggles, sacrifices and countless late nights were not in vain. It reminded me of my own journey: growing up in a village with limited exposure, often believing that science was “not for people like me”. Professionally, I see the award not as an individual accolade, but as a collective recognition of women in science and higher education. It stands as a powerful reminder that every time a woman succeeds, she lifts others with her.

As I often say: when one woman rises, all women are elevated. This award is not a signal to pause though, it energises me to continue mentoring, advocating and creating pathways for the generations to come.

At the WLHE Summit, you’ll speak on women’s leadership in academia. What structural changes do you believe are still urgently needed?

While progress has been made, we as women still continue to face persistent barriers. Women remain underrepresented in senior leadership, and too often their contributions are undervalued. To change this, institutions must place gender issues at the heart of the academic project, rather than treating them as peripheral. Mentorship, too, should be institutionalised.

We cannot truly unlock Africa’s full scientific potential when half of its talent, women, remain underrepresented, continually navigating systemic barriers, cultural and societal expectations, and unequal access to scientific opportunities. If we are to address Africa’s most pressing challenges – poverty, health, climate change, and technology – we must create an inclusive environment that elevates the voices and visions of women.

Many women continue to face obstacles in reaching leadership roles in STEM. Universities have a clear responsibility to cultivate fertile ground where women can thrive at every stage of their academic and professional journey. Representation matters – when young women see others who look like them leading and succeeding, they know it is possible. A woman’s success is never hers alone; it becomes a victory for the entire sector.

I often wonder to myself: what would Africa look like if every woman were given the opportunity, as some of us have been, to drive forward the ideals we all share in advancing science on this continent?

How can South African universities better support the next generation of women researchers, especially in STEM and public health?

Early-career researchers are too often overlooked, to our own peril, despite the pressing challenges our continent faces, including brain drain, the leaky pipeline, and talent retention. A youthful Africa cannot drive innovation and scientific breakthroughs without empowering the next generation of scientists, upon whom the future of science depends.

We must unlock the potential of early-career researchers by embracing their fresh perspectives and innovative ideas, and by positioning them at the centre of Africa’s development agenda – as envisioned in the AU Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.

Mentorship is critical to ensuring these emerging scientists receive the support they need – through scholarships, fellowships, grants, nominations, and professional memberships.

As the late Dr Bongani Mayosi, a towering figure in African health sciences, once said: “We must lift as we rise.”