Sponsorship opportunity: Attend the Engaged Research Conference 2025!

Are you an early career researcher passionate about making an impact through engaged and collaborative research?

The Engaged Research Conference (22-24 October 2025, Birchwood Hotel, Johannesburg) is offering a limited number of sponsorships to support exceptional emerging to mid-career scholars based at African institutions outside South Africa.

Connect with like-minded researchers, showcase your work and help shape the future of engaged research on the continent.

The sponsorship will be competitive, and it will cover:

  • Visa costs (if applicable)
  • Flights and accommodation
  • Road travel in Johannesburg
  • All meals during the conference

To be eligible, applicants must:

  • Be based at an African university or organization (excluding South Africa)
  • Be nearing completion of a PhD or have completed a PhD within the past 2 years
  • Have submitted an abstract that has been accepted for presentation at the conference
  • Commit to developing your presentation into a full article for submission to the special issue journal on engaged research

Applications will be assessed based on the quality and relevance of the submitted abstract, alignment with conference themes, and potential for contribution to the journal special issue. Applications close on 15 August 2025.

Meet our Scientific Committee

Scientific Committee

Dr Mokhantšo Makoae

Research Director, HSRC

Dr Makoae has extensive experience leading qualitative research across the SADC region on topics including HIV vulnerability, climate change, gender, and disability. Her work, commissioned by governments, UN agencies, the EU, and philanthropic organisations, has informed policy development and evaluation. She has served on the HSRC’s Research Ethics Committee (2012–2020) and on review panels for the NRF and European funders. A committed mentor, she also co-supervises postgraduate students and supports young researchers through the NRF Graduate Internship Programme.

Dr Plaxcedes Chiwire

Deputy Director: Health Intelligence, Western Cape Department of Health

With over 12 years of experience in health economics, Dr Chiwire has worked with international organisations such as the Global Fund, UNAIDS, USAID, GIZ, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, supporting African countries in strengthening health financing systems. She is Chairperson of the Costing Committee at the South African Council of Medical Schemes and has lectured at the University of Cape Town. Dr Chiwire has also worked in the South African public sector, advising on strategic planning, budgeting, and resource allocation across departments, bringing valuable insight into integrated health systems.

Dr Charles Hongoro

Senior Research Director, HSRC

Dr Hongoro is an Extraordinary Professor of health economics, systems, and policy at the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria. His research interests include sustainable human security, climate change, public health, especially health economics, systems, and policy research, science translation, and impact evaluations. He has published widely over the years.

Ms Bongiwe Moni

Director for External Capacity Development & Internships, HSRC

Ms Moni leads the HSRC’s initiatives addressing youth and graduate unemployment through evidence-based interventions such as internships and capacity development programmes, contributing to its societal impact agenda. She holds an MBA from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, an Honours in Public Administration from the University of the Western Cape, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Community Development at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her research focuses on youth labour market access, unemployment, poverty, inequality, and skills development, as well as moral regeneration, ethics, and governance.

Dr Marina Joubert

Associate professor, Stellenbosch University

Dr Joubert leads the Public Engagement Lab at the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST). After two decades in science communication practice, she joined academia in 2015 to develop a teaching and research programme on public communication of science. Her research explores scientists’ roles in public engagement, science in the media, ethics of science communication, and online science-society interactions. She collaborates on international projects, serves as deputy editor of JCOM, and is an honorary lifetime member of the global PCST Network.

Dr Lucky Ditaunyane

Acting Chief Operating Officer, HSRC

Dr Ditaunyane is a seasoned corporate communications specialist with more than three decades of experience in the private and public sectors. He has served in various organisations at middle and senior management levels. His journey began in basic education, where he honed his skills and rose through the ranks. Some of the key positions he held in the past include Deputy Director, Chief Education Specialist, Senior Academic Developer and Director of Communications at a prominent national institution. With a career dedicated to corporate communications and public relations, his expertise spans a diverse range of domains: diverse sector experience, strategic communication, science communication, crisis communication, media liaison, stakeholder relations, digital marketing, and corporate branding. Beyond his professional role, he serves on various advisory boards at institutions of higher learning.

Timothy K. Stanton, PhD

Senior Engaged Scholar with Ravensong Associates


Dr Stanton is a consultant in community-engaged scholarship across the US, Africa, and Asia. At Stanford University, he led the Bing Overseas Studies Programme in Cape Town, co-founded the Community Health concentration at the medical school, and directed the Haas Center for Public Service. He has served as a Fulbright Specialist with the HSRC and advised South Africa’s Community-Higher Education-Service Partnerships (CHESP) programme. He co-authored the Research University Engaged Scholarship Toolkit and has published widely on service-learning. He holds a PhD in human and organisation systems from Fielding Graduate University.

Dr Tholang Mokhele

Manager, Geospatial Computing and Analytics, HSRC

Dr Mokhele manages the Geospatial Computing and Analytics Sub-unit of the eResearch Knowledge Unit at the HSRC. He holds PhD in Environmental Science (GIS) and MSc in Environmental Science (Remote Sensing) (Cum Laude) both from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is NRF Rated Researcher. Dr Mokhele has more than 15 years of experience in geospatial analytics and data analytics in social and health sciences research. Dr Mokhele’s publication record spans the authoring and co-authoring of more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles, books, book chapters, conference proceedings and policy briefs.