Harvard Radcliffe fellowship for UCT’s Mubeen Goolam

The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Dr Mubeen Goolam has been awarded a 2026–2027 Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowship, a highly acclaimed award conferred to esteemed scholars across a multitude of disciplines.

Dr Goolam is the principal investigator of the Stem Cell Modelling of Development and Disease Group, jointly based in the Department of Human Biology and the Neuroscience Institute at UCT. The year-long fellowship provides him with a rare opportunity to pursue a unique project within an interdisciplinary environment. According to the institute, Radcliffe Fellows are at varying stages of their careers and come to the institution from all over the world – representing a broad range of academic, professional and artistic fields.

“This fellowship is a really valuable professional milestone for me. It recognises not just my scientific work but also highlights the importance of ensuring that emerging technologies develop in ways that are globally inclusive and socially responsive,” Goolam said. “Coming from South Africa, it is especially meaningful to contribute African perspectives to international discussions on science policy and innovation.”

Advancing research

Goolam said he is excited to kick-start his fellowship and engage with leading thinkers from all over the world who represent an array of disciplines. But most importantly, he said he looks forward to fast-tracking his research, which lies at the intersection of stem cell biology, ethics, governance and global equity.

His project titled, “Anticipating futures: Developing equitable policy guidelines for stem-cell-based organoids in Africa”, will focus on creating practical policy guidelines for organoid research in South Africa and the rest of Africa. Simply put, he said, organoids are powerful stem-cell-derived models that are transforming biomedical research and personalised medicine. Yet, much of the governance and decision-making around these technologies have been shaped outside Africa.

“Another thing I’m looking forward to is to bring African perspectives into global conversations.”

“Organoid research sits at the crossroads of science, policy, ethics and society. So, being able to engage with experts from different fields while on this fellowship will be invaluable. Another thing I’m looking forward to is to bring African perspectives into global conversations on emerging biotechnologies and to build collaborations that can strengthen equitable research and innovation across the continent.”

Future-facing work

In addition, the project will also allow him to develop a framework that places equity, inclusion and African leadership at the centre of emerging organoid governance. As such, it will harness scientific evidence, international policy frameworks, and direct engagement with African stakeholders to produce guidance documents that can support governments, universities and research institutions.

Ultimately, he explained, the goal of the project is to ensure African countries use future technologies and become active contributors that shape their development and governance.

“This work is future facing. Many countries are only beginning to consider the ethical and policy implications of organoid science now. Africa has the opportunity to engage proactively rather than reactively. I believe this project can contribute to more inclusive, global scientific systems while also supporting the growth of cutting-edge biomedical research capacity across Africa,” Goolam said.