Beverley Damonse

Until end February 2023, Beverley was the Group Executive: Science Engagement and Corporate Relations of the National Research Foundation of South Africa (2011 -2023) driving policy and strategy development and implementation in the areas of advancement of research and technology, public communication and engagement with science, science education as well as corporate communications and stakeholder engagement. Beverley has just assumed a new role as Senior Advisor: Science Enterprises within the Faculty of Science, Witwatersrand University. She will assist the faculty to turn its growing number of Science Enterprises to more viable academic-led commercial ventures. She has more than 20 years of senior executive leadership experience within the South African science and education system, including as the first Executive Director of the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) from 2003-2011. She has been very active at the forefront of efforts to advance science communication and engagement (instrumental in drafting of the first Science Engagement Strategy of the national Department of Science and Technology) and to positively influence and impact the critical relationship between science and society (led the most recent development of the National Research Foundations Engaged Research Framework) She obtained a BSc (Microbiology and Plant Pathology), B.Education and M.Education from the then University of Natal (now University of KwaZulu Natal) and a doctorate degree (Education Policy and Management) from the University of Pretoria.