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Professor Irvy Gledhill’s vision for African unity

Prof Irvy Gledhill’s vision for African unity

Nobody should be denied the opportunity to work in science or be refused the extraordinary experience of scientific discovery. This is why Prof Irvy “Igle” Gledhill has made it her mission to create a united scientific community across the continent. “Because, through all the complications of world events, science is a thread that brings minds together,” she explains. 

An Honorary Adjunct Professor of Flow Physics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Gledhill’s work in science diplomacy is passion-driven: “I seek universal participation in science and universal access to the benefits of science. There must be freedom of thought to innovate, guided by scientific responsibility. The need for a conducive and inclusive environment is fundamentally known to all scientists.” 

Her pivotal moment came when she joined an international working group on women in physics in Seoul. “It was the first time I’d been to a physics conference where 90% of attendees were women,” she recalls. “Women in hijab attended with chaperones, and there were arrangements to look after babies.”

Listening to people telling their stories has led her from advocating for women in physics to championing universal participation in science across Africa — laying the groundwork for her broader African science initiatives. 

In 2016 she helped spearhead a global project on the gender gap in science, ensuring that Africa was represented in the findings. “We also managed to address the impact of natural disasters, health and conflict on people; these challenges hit harder and do more permanent damage in developing countries than in high-income countries.” 

Gledhill is Editor-in-Chief of the African Physics Newsletter (APN), which contributes to the visibility of physicists by publishing articles and stories and fostering science communication skills. “We’ve got many experts in quantum mechanics, nuclear medicine and high-energy particles across the continent, astronomers in Madagascar and Ouagadougou … Yet most of us don’t have the faintest idea of the work being done outside our own countries.”   

As a board member of the Network of African Science Academies and Interim Vice-President of the Academy of Science of South Africa, she advocates for improved scientific infrastructure and funding across the continent. However, challenges remain, like the need for African countries to meet their commitment of allocating 1% of their GDP to science and technology budgets.

Gledhill envisions an Africa where scientific excellence drives economic stability and evidence-based policymaking. Winning the NSTF Science Diplomacy for Africa Award, sponsored by the Science Diplomacy Capital for Africa (SDCfA) initiative implemented by the CSIR on behalf of the Department of Science and Innovation, spotlights her critical work and paves the way for a future where African scientists unite in pursuit of shared progress and innovation.