Farewell to ED Research: Dr Linda Mtwisha

Dear colleagues and students

It is with a heavy heart that I write to announce that the Executive Director (ED): Research, Dr Linda Mtwisha, will leave the University of Cape Town (UCT) at the end of September 2025.

While we are sad to lose her from UCT, we also celebrate with her the new chapters that lie ahead. It is also with a deep sense of appreciation that we reflect on her significant contributions during her tenure at UCT. Her servant leadership, steadfast commitment and tireless efforts have left a mark on our institution’s research enterprise.

Dr Mtwisha joined UCT on 1 October 2020 and has served the university exceptionally in the five years she has been at the helm.

In her role as ED, she has had oversight responsibility of the Research Office, which includes a number of diverse directorates: Research Support Enterprise; Global Strategy and Visibility; Office of Research Integrity; Postgraduate Studies and Researcher Development, including Postgraduate Funding Office; Research Office Finance; and Office Operations.

Dr Mtwisha brought to UCT a spirit of service to society and a deep passion for research that matters – research that addresses real-world challenges. She focused on strengthening systems and capacitating people in a way that ensures impact and sustainability. In this regard, she led the development of the inaugural Research Office strategy, which was intended to position the office to optimally deliver the strategic goals of the university. This changed the orientation and practices of Research Office staff in a way that encourages collaborations within the office and across the university for a greater impact, while also driving and facilitating a culture of inclusivity and making sure every staff member feels seen and valued.

She led and participated in a number of strategic projects at institutional level.

One of the first projects she embarked on when she joined the university was aimed at enhancing data intelligence capacity for data informed decisions. She conceptualised the establishment of a comprehensive research performance dataset that will enable UCT to have oversight of all academics, postgraduate students and postdocs, tracking research productivity in relation to research publication; postgraduate graduation; external funding, and National Research Foundation (NRF) ratings.

Dr Mtwisha was instrumental in getting UCT to be the interim host of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)-NRF Institute for the Preparedness and Prevention of Pandemics, a multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary research institute that will take a holistic approach to anticipating, responding to and recovering from any future pandemic or pandemic threat. The institute is led by a consortium of 10 SA public universities.

In an effort to strengthen our capacity to drive research with societal impact, she developed the Grand Challenge Initiative, aimed at intensifying interdisciplinary research, societal impact and cross-sectoral collaborations towards tackling the intractable challenges in Africa.

She later conceptualised and developed an industry postdoctoral fellowship programme to strengthen UCT’s partnership with industry to ensure we have train postdoctoral that are market ready and engage with market related research programmes.

She introduced the Research Leadership Programme set to support the mid-career researchers and aimed at transforming the profile of our established internationally renowned cohort of scholars.

Dr Mtwisha is the driving force behind the recently introduced Collective Conversations series, which is a vital space for inclusive, future-focused dialogue. Under her guidance and the diligent drive of her team, the series has created opportunities for rich conversations and critical reflections with contributors from various sectors of the economy – a legacy that will no doubt continue to grow.

It is not possible to fully capture the depth and breadth of Dr Mtwisha’s impact at UCT in a single message. However, some of the additional strategic projects she led or helped initiate include:

• Social Sciences postdoc project, for which she secured R8 million in funding
• Knowledge Co-op full scholarships for master’s students
• The development of an institutional framework for assessing research impact
• Research impact case study repository.

Through all these highlights, Dr Mtwisha has not only fulfilled her duties with diligence, but she has also inspired those around her with her integrity, generosity of spirit and deep belief in the transformative power of research.

The closest to capturing the impart of her tenure could perhaps be through the words of Jane Goodall, who once said: “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”.

We are deeply grateful to Dr Mtwisha for the impactful work she has done and for the warmth, dedication and professionalism she consistently brought to her role.

With Dr Mtwisha’s imminent departure, Ms Christina Pather has been appointed to serve as acting ED: Research with effect from 1 October 2025. Ms Pather is the director for research support enterprise in the Research Office. We thank Ms Pather for her willingness to serve the university, and we look forward to working with her and supporting her in this role.

Sincerely

Professor Mosa Moshabela
Vice-Chancellor

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements