Page 19 - Unisa CSET Mid Year Highlights 2025 Digital

Q&A
Prof Sarah-Jane Johnston (Position: Research Internationalisation Specialist at Unisa, Former, Head: Research and Graduate Studies, CSET)
A quote or bible verse that you live by:
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – Matthew 7:12
Reflect on your upbringing and how you ended up in the sciences?
I have always been keen and excited by mathematics with enthusiastic teachers at school and keen and numerate parents leading to success in the Junior Maths Olympiad in primary school. The only way to follow my calling in Maths was to start with a B.Com at Wits University followed by a move to the Sciences culminating in my PhD in Orthogonal Polynomials and Special Functions. The rest, as they say, is history.
Reflect on your journey to becoming a Head of portfolio at Unisa
I followed a very logical and structured promotional path to where I am currently. I was the Chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences for a few years and was then promoted to Head of Research and Graduate Studies. I have always had a view to assisting students, which is where my passion lies, and all my positions have allowed me to follow this passion.
Balancing Research and leadership in the colleges
It’s often difficult to balance research and leadership given the increased volume of administration. The only way to balance them is to give each the requisite amount of time and effort.
Are there any Unique challenges experienced by being a female leaders? If so, how have you learnt to overcome them?
I’ve learnt to grow a thick skin being a female leader in a predominantly male environment. Luckily, we have a legacy of women in CSET who have paved the way for female leaders. The previous two Executive Deans of CSET were strong women leaders and we have the wonderful Prof Simi Dube as our current Deputy Executive Dean.
Successes or wins that you want to share in your journey as a researcher and leader within the portfolio that you lead?
There are many successes in my portfolio since I’ve been Head. The number of postgraduate students who have completed their degrees in CSET has increased. We now have over 80 NRF-rated scholars including a B1 rating. There are many innovative projects that have come out of CSET which has been exciting to watch.
Any interesting projects that you are currently working on that you wish to highlight?
I have been extremely lucky and privileged to accompany the Executive Dean, Prof Bhekie Mamba, to several countries in search of collaborations with other universities. Some countries in this internationalisation project include China and Brazil which have resulted in MOUs and agreements for researching together.
Define tomorrow.
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