The rising stars
NRF: P-rated research
Professor Scarlett Cornelissen
Stellenbosch University
Scarlett Cornelissen studied at the universities of Rhodes, Cape Town and Stellenbosch before obtaining a PhD (urban studies) at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom.
She is associate professor in political science at Stellenbosch University. She was appointed visiting professor in the Graduate School of International Relations at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan, during 2008 and 2009 and was awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship at the University of Stirling, UK, in 2009.
Cornelissen conducts research on various aspects of Africa’s political economy, focusing on foreign policy and development, and the spatial dynamics of political authority on the continent.
She is the author of a book on South Africa’s place in the global tourism system (2005, Ashgate) and has co-edited three other books that focused, respectively, on African international relations (2006, University of Cape Town Press) and national and regional perspectives on globalisation (2007, Palgrave, Volumes I and II).
She is working on a collaborative book project on Africa and international relations theory.
Professor Bernard Slippers
University of Pretoria
Bernard Slippers is an associate professor in genetics at the University of Pretoria. He is a research leader of the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme and Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology at the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute.
His research focus is on the molecular ecology and evolution of insects and micro-organisms that affect tree health as well as anthropogenic influences on it.
Slippers received a PhD from the University of Pretoria and was a post-doctoral fellow at the Swedish University of Agriculture in Uppsala.
He has received a number of awards for his research, including from the International Union of Forestry Research Organisations for outstanding doctoral research, a President’s Award from the NRF and, twice, an Exceptional Young Researcher Award from the University of Pretoria.
He regularly participates in international scientific meetings, also in an organising role, and has published more than 50 papers in international peer-reviewed journals.
Slippers has been involved in the supervision or co-supervision of a number of MSc and PhD students. He participates in advising governmental and private organisations on tree protection issues in South Africa, Indonesia, Europe and the United States.
Bernard and his wife Jana have two children, Yvonne and Mia. Slippers and his wife are also involved in the university’s residence life as hostel parents of Boekenhout men’s residence.
