Sue Harrison (Prof)

Deputy Vice-Chancellor University of Cape Town

Professor Sue Harrison was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation at the University of Cape Town, Africa’s leading university in August 2019.

Her portfolio includes advancing the research quality, quantity across the university and its broader impact, enhancing UCT’s African agenda, internationalization and research partnerships, growing and transforming the postgraduate sector and oversight of interdisciplinary university research institutes.  Through this, the positioning of UCT, as a research intensive university, to contribute to knowledge in, for and from Africa is nurtured.

She has a long, varied track record in academic management and leadership, starting with her headship of Chemical Engineering over 20 years back, through serving as Deputy Dean: Postgraduate and Research for 6 years. Her research and teaching career extend over some 30 years. She has formed and led research groupings in bioprocess engineering and in sustainable resources and championed interdisciplinary research capacity at UCT. She has built experience in value from waste in the mining sector and in re-thinking post-mining economies.

Her contribution to UCT’s research management is shown through her ongoing involvement with research and postgraduate committees and working groups at UCT. Her contribution to research nationally has been demonstrated through her leadership role in the nurturing of innovation and in the implementation plans for the bioeconomy strategy.