Author: Rowena Quinan

Peter Lennie is the Executive Director of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), and the Jay Last Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at University of Rochester. Before taking up his position at WUN he served at the University of Rochester as Provost, and earlier as Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences and Engineering. During his time as Provost he drove a major expansion of the university’s international engagement. His scientific work focused on the brain mechanisms underlying vision. He has served as chair of National Institutes of Health review panels, and of the National Research Council Committee on Vision.

Professor Jan Palmowski has been Secretary-General of The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities since its creation in 2016. He was Head of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at King’s College London (2008-12), and Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Academic Vice-President at the University of Warwick from 2013 to 2018. He is Professor at the University of Warwick, and adjunct Professor at the University of Oslo. ​​​​A frequent commentator for a range of publications (most notably the Times Higher Education and Research Professional), in his academic capacity Jan is currently working on research and higher education policy.

A Professor of Planning and a former Dean, Professor Jenny Dixon is seconded to the role of U21 Provost from the University of Auckland, where she was previously Deputy Vice-Chancellor Strategic Engagement. In her role as Provost, she leads the network’s strategic direction, working with Presidents, Vice-Chancellors, and senior leaders from 30 member universities worldwide. Jenny drives opportunities for collaboration and innovation in global education, research, and leadership, ensuring U21’s work delivers real impact. She also convenes peer and steering groups, building connections that strengthen U21’s collective influence and reach across the higher education sector.

Professor Ernest Aryeetey is an Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, and is widely recognized as one of Africa’s leading development economists. Until 31st July 2024, he served as the Secretary-General of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), where he was instrumental in promoting research collaboration among Africa’s flagship universities. Professor Aryeetey previously held the position of Vice-Chancellor at the University of Ghana from 2010 to 2016, leading institutional transformation and advancing the university’s reputation as a research-intensive institution. Earlier, he held senior roles as Director of ISSER (2003–2010) and served as Senior Fellow and Director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Professor Aryeetey earned a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of Ghana, an MSc in Regional Planning from KNUST, and a PhD from the University of Dortmund, Germany. In July 2017, he was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Sussex in recognition of his contributions to African higher education and the study of African economies.

Prof. Joyce Nakatumba-Nabende is a Ugandan computer scientist and senior lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at Makerere University’s School of Computing and Informatics Technology. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, a Master of Science in Computer Science from Makerere University, and a Bachelor of Computer Science from Mbarara University of Science and Technology. Dr. Nakatumba-Nabende currently heads the Makerere Artificial Intelligence Lab, where she leads research and capacity-building in artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, and business process management. Her work emphasizes inclusive and responsible AI approaches, and she is devoted to increasing diversity and gender equity within data science research. She is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery’s Educational Advisory Committee, the Responsible Artificial Intelligence (RAIN) Africa Network, a board member of Data Science Africa, and a founding member of the Open for Good Alliance Inclusive AI Commons. She also serves as a research scientist within the ARUA–The Guild Cluster of Research Excellence focused on global and African challenges in AI and data science. 

Dr. Rachid Serraj is Director of the Africa Initiative and Associate Dean of Strategy at UM6P. An agronomist with a PhD from Montpellier University, his international career spans senior roles at CGIAR, (ICRISAT, ICARDA, IRRI), and FAO. His research focuses on dryland agriculture and resilience, crop stress tolerance, and agri-food systems innovation. With over 250 publications, he has supervised dozens of students and is a member of several international boards, including the HLPE-FSN Steering Committee.

Professor Sanjeev K. Sobhee was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mauritius on 19 September 2022. Before this substantive appointment, he served as Acting Vice-Chancellor starting March 2022. He held the role of Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academia) from April 2017 until his Vice-Chancellorship in September 2022. Prior to these senior administrative roles, Professor Sobhee was Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies and Humanities from 2008 to 2011 and headed the Department of Economics and Statistics from 2004 to 2006. He has extensive consultancy experience, having worked on several projects for international organizations including The World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). His academic expertise spans applied economics, public policy, and sustainable development, underpinned by a strong record in teaching and research at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Professor Margaret Jesang Hutchinson is the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi. She is a Professor of Horticulture with over 40 years’ experience in teaching, research, and outreach in the agriculture sector. As the first female Vice-Chancellor at the university, she has demonstrated strong leadership and management skills. She has been a long-serving Board Member of the Horticultural Crops Development Authority and has published widely in refereed journals and conferences. Professor Hutchinson is a member of several professional bodies and is passionate about economic, social, spiritual, and societal transformation in Kenya and Africa.

Jim Kaketch is a Senior Programme Officer in charge of PASGR’s Utafiti Sera project (Urban Governance, Kenya and Rwanda; Youth Employment Creation, Kenya; Universal Health Coverage, Zambia); Policy Cultures Study in Nigeria, Kenya and Rwanda; and Food Systems Transformation project, Kenya. Kaketch also coordinate African Youth Pathways to Resilience and Systems Change (AYPReS) project in 10 African countries. He holds an MSc in Public Policy & Administration, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK (Chevening Scholarship) and an MA in Political Science & Public Administration, University of Nairobi, Kenya (UoN Merit Scholarship). Kaketch has over 10 years of progressive experience gained through working on multi-year regional and country-level programmes on diverse thematic areas.

Prof. Anthony Egeru is the Manager Skilling, Engagement for Community Development, a 10-year project funded by The MasterCard Foundation to strengthen the effectiveness of university contribution to development through skills development particularly entrepreneurship of talented, motivated and disadvantaged youth in Africa. He previously served as Assistant Grants Manager at RUFORUM Secretariat, Lecturer at Makerere University and a secondary school teacher at Merryland High School, Entebbe. Anthony is a distinguished academic with a Research Gate Score of 10.34 and h-index of 4 and 13,710 reads and reviews in Academia. Anthony has multi-faceted experience in research including in systems ecology with a focus on management of dryland ecosystems, early warning system, rangeland health monitoring, land use planning, pastoral livelihoods, agro-forestry systems, climate change, adaptation and resilience programming and analysis, development processes-especially participatory analysis and curriculum design and development.