Prof Julie Coetzee

I hold a Tier 1 DSI-NRF South African Research Chair in the Ecology and Management of Aquatic Invasive Species. The SARChI Chair is co-hosted by Rhodes University, where I am also the Deputy Director of the Centre for Biological Control, managing the Biological Control of Aquatic Invasive Plants programme.

What inspired you to become the leader that you are today?

I never considered myself a leader when I started my academic journey. I wanted to be a nature conservationist when I left school, not really knowing what that was. I studied Zoology and Botany at Wits University and was fortunate to be exposed to the amazing research that young South Africans were conducting on invasive species management through conference attendance and visits to the Agricultural Research Council’s Plant Protection Research Institute.

I got hooked on the biological control of water weeds all the way back in 1998 when I started my Honours degree in the biological control of water hyacinth, and I haven’t looked back. 26 years later and I am still working on sustainable solutions for one of sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest threats to water security: biological invasions.

As my research career progressed, I realised that I had an impact on the students that I taught and supervised, and many considered me a mentor, likely because of my enthusiasm for environmental management, and because I didn’t take myself too seriously. I also have a very collegial approach with my students and colleagues where we work as a team, promoting inclusivity, and everyone understands that no matter how small their project might be, their research forms part of the bigger picture of aquatic invasive species management, climate change mitigation, and sustainable biodiversity conservation.

What advice would you give to the next generation of women leaders?

There is no substitute for hard work! It doesn’t matter your race or gender, don’t cut corners, and have integrity in all that you do. In this world of instant gratification, we expect things to come easily and with little effort. But getting to the top is hard.

I did one of those life coaching courses in my 20s, and the most important thing I took from it is that you have integrity when what you think, what you say, and what you do are the same. It’s easy to talk your way into or out of doing something that you know isn’t necessarily ethical and justify it with all kinds of reasons, but if you have integrity, you’ll rise to the top.

Don’t put others down to elevate yourself. Celebrate others’ successes and achievements as if they were your own. In my research group, we have tea on Fridays where we do just that, anything from getting a driver’s license to publishing a paper, to graduating with a PhD is celebrated. Being kind and fair will attract people to you, and make them look up to you.

Always take responsibility for your actions. Owning up to the positive and negative consequences of your choices and behaviour will elevate you amongst your colleagues. We all make mistakes, but the notion of learning from them really is important.

For example, I recently submitted an application to Government to release a biological control agent against a new invasive plant in South Africa, and I didn’t proofread it correctly and overlooked a critical typo that resulted in my application being returned to me. This set the programme back considerably, and I had to admit to my team that it was my fault that this happened.

And finally, take your work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. When we don’t take ourselves too seriously, we remember that the work isn’t about us. This makes you approachable, and potentially inspirational to future mentees who will look up to you and model their behaviour on yours.