The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

Professor Daya Reddy, President of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has been elected as President-elect of the International Council for Science (ICSU).

Another Member of ASSAf, Prof Cheryl de la Rey, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria was elected to serve on the ICSU Executive Board at the organisation’s 31st General Assembly in Auckland. They were both elected by representatives from ICSU’s 120 national members and 31 scientific unions attending the meeting.

ICSU is a non-governmental organisation with a global membership of national scientific bodies with a mission to strengthen international science for the benefit of society. ICSU, amongst others, mobilises the knowledge and resources of the international science community to identify and address major issues of importance to science and society and provide independent, authoritative advice to stimulate constructive dialogue between the scientific community and governments, civil society, and the private sector.

Reddy will take over from the current ICSU President, Gordon McBean, in October 2017.

Reddy obtained a BSc degree in civil engineering from the University of Cape Town, and a PhD degree from Cambridge University. He holds the South African Research Chair in Computational Mechanics in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He is also Director of the Centre for Research in Computational and Applied Mechanics, and served as Dean of the Faculty of Science at UCT over the period 1999-2005. He is a recipient of the National Order of Mapungubwe (Bronze), and is a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS).

His research interests lie at the intersection of applied mathematics and engineering sciences. Much of his work is concerned with analysis and computational simulation in solid and fluid mechanics, and concerns the development of mathematical models of material behaviour, analysis of these models, and the construction and implementation of algorithms for their numerical solution. His work is motivated by applications in areas such as materials science and biomechanics.

De la Rey holds a professorship in the University of Pretoria’s Department of Psychology. Her previous executive positions include being the Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Higher Education, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Cape Town and Executive Director at the National Research Foundation.  She is registered as a Psychologist by the Health Professions Council of South Africa, is a fellow of the Psychological Association of South Africa and a fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa.

Issued by Academy of Science of South Africa