Public Engagement with Research Award

Professor Darelle van Greunen is a Distinguished Professor and multidisciplinary researcher leading the Centre for Community Technologies at Nelson Mandela University that develops “ICT solutions for Africa, by Africans in Africa”. She’s affectionately known as “the people’s professor” for bringing smart technologies to the “person on the street.”

Under her leadership, her group has developed more than 30 mobile applications and websites in the Health, Education and Agriculture sectors for use by marginalised communities. She and her team have won various awards for their research and application development within Africa. In addition, her group
engages with scholars and low literacy communities and has presented e-skills training to more than 400 scholars and community members over the past five
years.

Prof van Greunen holds a PhD in ComputerScience from the University of South Africa. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including the Common Wealth Digital Heath Merit Award and the UN African Innovation Forum Award. She has supervised more than 80 postgraduate students to completion and produced over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings.