ASSAf: Call for Nomination of New Members 2020

The annual process of nominating and electing new Members to ASSAf has commenced for 2020 in accordance with Regulation 1 of the Academy (below). The relevant nomination form is below.

The membership of South Africa's nationally and internationally recognised science academy, ultimately determines the quality and scope of the role that ASSAf can play in the developmental trajectory of the country. With its emphasis on evidence-based studies on topics of national importance, ASSAf Members have significant opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills to influence national policy and practice. The Academy aspires to be an organization that has the confidence and trust of all South Africans, and the capacity to undertake studies of national relevance that are increasingly required of it.

The Academy is unequivocally committed to enhancing the representivity of its membership in terms of race, gender and diversity of disciplines and thus seeks to increase its membership in presently under-represented disciplines such as agriculture, mathematics, earth sciences, education and economics in tandem with increasing its female and black membership more generally.

Please remember that it is typical of all major science academies that the number of nominees significantly exceeds the number of elected Members/Fellows in each election cycle; many are only selected in their second or third year of nomination, and some never. There should thus be a substantial cohort of nominees to generate a "typical" academy selection cycle for ASSAf's continued good progress and reputation; conversely, non-election of a (good) candidate after a first-time nomination is not unusual (as is the case for most of the world’s other science academies).

An updated list of current ASSAf Members is available on the website.

The nomination process can be downloaded below along with the nomination form and Regulation 1 of the Academy.