GOVERNANCE

The network is based on a Collaborative Agreement among the member universities. Under this agreement, one university serves as lead partner and hosts a small secretariat. The secretariat is responsible for the overall coordination of the network.

The network is led by a Steering Group, representing a set of nine Australian member Universities and thirteen African member universities. The Steering Group has two co-chairs, currently Associate Professor David Mickler on the Australian side, and Professor Aldo Stroebel, Deputy Vice -Chancellor of the University of Mpumalanga, on the African side. The Group meets by online meeting.

A Consultative Group, representing specific expertise in African engagement and not restricted to official university representatives, provides key input across the thematic areas of engagement. It meets during annual fora and general meetings and may also meet on an ad hoc basis at other times. Consultative Group membership is open to nomination by a member institution at any time.

Associate Professor David Mickler, Curtin University, AAUN Co-Chair (Australia)

David Mickler is Dean Global, Africa, and Director, Centre for Australia-Africa Relations at Curtin University, Perth. He has been involved with AAUN since its formation, including hosting the Annual Forum, convening the Emerging Leaders in Australia-Africa Diplomacy Program (ELAAD), and serving as Deputy Co-Chair (WA), before being appointed as Co-Chair in late 2024. His other international leadership roles include serving as inaugural Co-Chair, Global Africa Group in the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN); representing Australia on the IORA Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group (IORAG); and founding the IORA Indian Ocean University Network (UNIOR). He has previously worked at Murdoch University, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Western Australia, and been a Visiting Fellow at the University of Pretoria, University of Addis Ababa, and the African Union Commission. As an Associate Professor of International Relations, his research sits at the intersection of Political Science and African Studies, and his books include New Engagement: Contemporary Australian Foreign Policy Towards Africa (2013), The African Union: Addressing the Challenges of Peace, Security and Governance (2016), and Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals (2020). He is a Chief Investigator on the Australian Research Council Discovery Project African Impact in Australia (2023-26), and Co-Editor of the new research project Australia-Africa Science Diplomacy: Collaborative Research, Policy Impact and International Cooperation.

Professor Aldo Stroebel, University of Mpumalanga, AAUN Co-Chair (Africa)

Prof Aldo Stroebel is the inaugural Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Innovation and Internationalisation at the University of Mpumalanga, and former Executive Director at the National Research Foundation (NRF). He serves as Board Member of South Africa’s Water Research Commission, and previously served on the Board of the Agricultural Research Council, and as South Africa’s National Contact Point for the European Research Council. He is an Honorary Scholar at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria, Foreign Fellow of the Ugandan National Academy of Science, a Senior Fellow of the Pan-African Scientific Council, and a founding member of the SA Young Academy of Science (SAYAS). He is a recognised scholar in sustainable agriculture, and acknowledged as a leader in the internationalisation of Higher Education, and research and innovation management. He is the 2022 recipient of the SARIMA Research Management Excellence Award.

Associate Professor Janet Dzator, University of Newcastle, AAUN Deputy Co-Chair (Australia)

Associate Professor Janet Dzator is an applied economist at the Newcastle Business School, University of Newcastle (UON), Australia. She holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Queensland, Australia, a Bachelor of Science (Honours) and Master of Philosophy in Agriculture (Agricultural Economics) from the University of Ghana, Ghana. Her teaching and research interests are in macroeconomics, public policy, development economics and sustainability. She has won prestigious grants from the Australian Research Council, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council among others to support her illustrious work. Her publications have appeared in top ranking peered reviewed journals including Energy Economics, Applied Economics, Social Indicators Research and Journal of Policy Modelling. She is a dedicated Higher Degree by Research (HDR) student supervisor with over 15 HDR completions. Janet is the current Director for the Centre of African Research, Engagement and Partnerships (CARE-P) and the Deputy Co-Chair of Australia Africa Universities Network, Australia. She has also served in other leadership roles including Head of Discipline for Economics, Politics and International Relations (EPIR), Deputy Head Discipline for Business Analytics, Economics and Politics (BAEP), Co-Chair of Business Academic Women, Student Academic Conduct Officer (SACO), Program Convenor for Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Business/Commerce programs, and a member of the Academic Senate.

Before joining the UON, Janet was a teaching and a research fellow at the Social and Public Health Economics Research Unit (SPHERe), University of Curtin, Perth Australia. She was a member of the Western Australia Drug Evaluation Panel (WADEP) a subsidiary of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Perth, Australia. She worked briefly at a World Health Organisation supported Health Research Centre at the Institute of Social, Statistical and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Ghana where she established a Health Economic program, built extensive experience in the design and conduct of socioeconomic research, survey design, fieldwork, research project leadership and project evaluation. She is an inclusive leader and known for providing robust and evidence-based insights for decision making.

Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, Makerere University, AAUN Deputy Co-Chair (Africa)

Professor Barnabas Nawangwe holds a PhD in Architecture from Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture and is a distinguished professor of architecture at Makerere University. Since August 2017, he has served as the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, one of Africa’s oldest and most prestigious universities.

Prof Nawangwe has played a pivotal role in transforming Makerere into a research-intensive, collegiate university. He is an active member of several global university association boards, including serving as the Chairperson of the Board for the Alliance for African Partnerships, Vice-Chairperson of the Board for the Australia Africa Universities Network, and as a Council Member for the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

A passionate advocate for the transformative role of African universities in society, Prof. Nawangwe has spearheaded numerous initiatives to promote research and innovation. Notably, he contributed to the establishment of Kiira Motors Corporation, Africa’s first electric vehicle manufacturing company. Makerere University holds a 4% stake in the company, and Prof. Nawangwe serves as a member of its Board of Directors.

Associate Professor Grace Liu PhD, General Manager, AAUN Australia Secretariat

Dr Grace Liu is General Manager of the Australia Africa Universities Network (www.aaun.edu.au). She manages the partnerships and research development of AAUN. She works with the AAUN Chairman and the Secretariat team, developing high-level relationships with universities, governments and business. Previously, Grace was Research Development Manager for the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) from 2015-2018, including research partnerships and operations of the WUN Global China Group and WUN Global Africa Group.

Grace was awarded her PhD in Chinese Ancient Literature and Bibliography from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). She was a researcher and lecturer in Chinese Universities with undergraduate and master’s students in Chinese traditional literature. Among her publications, several articles on literature and history are in eminent Chinese academic journals. She received academic awards from the Provincial government and Education Department for her research achievements. Grace held an appointment with the University of New South Wales 2014-20, conducting research and lecturing in Chinese ancient literature, culture and language. Her recent research explores the relevance of traditional Chinese values to contemporary international relations. Her two-authored book The Annotation of HaiHe-YinGao was published in 2023 by China Ocean University Press.

Dr Sussy Munialo, AAUN Africa Secretariat

Sussy Munialo has a PhD in Agricultural Resource Management from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Her research interest is in sustainable food systems, indigenous crops, economic modelling, climate change, gender, and monitoring impacts of projects. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow with ARUA Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Food Systems (ARUA-SFS) and her current research focusses on Unleashing the Potential of Indigenous Crops. She is the Secretariat of Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN) and the co-chair AAUN-Earlier Career Researchers Initiative.

Her previous research focused on understanding the causes of large yield gaps on smallholder farms and improving the nutritional and economic well-being of smallholder women farmers through utilisation of African Leafy Vegetables. She has also worked at the capacity of researcher, consultant, and technical expert with institutions such as the World Food Programme, World Agroforestry Centre, University of Nairobi, ETC East Africa, USAID, DFID and RUFORUM. Her accomplishments include several published papers and technical reports. She is inspired by a society that is food secure, productive, and independent and her future inspiration is to become a global transformative leader in Sustainable Food Systems. Sussy is versatile and has great teamwork and people management skills. She loves reading scientific and inspirational books, gardening, cooking, walking, and meeting people.

AAUN Leadership:

Steering Group Members, Africa

Prof Aldo Stroebel, University of Mpumalanga, South Africa (Co-Chair)
Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, Makerere University, Uganda (Deputy Co-Chair)
Dr Sussy Munialo, Africa Secretariat
Dr Vathi Papu-Zamxaka, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa
Prof Thokozile Mayekiso, University of Mpumalanga, South Africa
Prof David Norris, University of Botswana, Botswana
Prof Kayihura Didas, University of Rwanda, Rwanda
Prof Nana Amfo, University of Ghana, Ghana
Prof Jeff Murigan, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Prof Sanjeev Sobhee, University of Mauritius, Mauritius
Dr Priscilla Mensah, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa
Prof Stephen Kiama, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Prof Frans Swanepoel, University of Pretoria, South Africa, (ex-officio)

AAUN Board Members, Australia

A/Prof David Mickler, Curtin University (Co-Chair)
Dr Janet Dzator, University of Newcastle (Deputy Co-Chair)
Dr Grace Liu, General Manager, AAUN Australia Secretariat
Prof Matthew Neuhaus, Australian National University
Prof Kadambot Siddique, University of Western Australia
Prof Deborah Sweeney, Western Sydney University
Prof Prem Ramburuth, University of New South Wales
Dr Andrew Dansie, University of New South Wales
Prof Jacqueline Lo, Murdoch University
A/Prof Kathryn Sturman, University of Queensland
A/Prof Helen Vella Bonavita, Edith Cowan University