Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng is Vice Chancellor at the University of Cape Town. She was formerly the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Internationalisation at the same university. Prior to that she was the Vice Principal, Research and Innovation at the University of South Africa; is an honorary professor of mathematics education at Wits University; holds a PhD in Mathematics Education from the University of the Witwatersrand and has published over 80 research papers and four edited volumes, which have so far been cited 892 times at an impressive rate of 44,6 cites per year. She is a B2 NRF-rated scientist, which indicates considerable international recognition.
Prof Phakeng has been an invited speaker and visiting professor at 21 international conferences and universities and has also has won several awards for her research and community work, the latest being the 2013 Most Influential Woman in Education and Training in South Africa and the 2011 Most Outstanding Senior Black Female Researcher in recognition of her innovative, quality research on teaching and learning mathematics in multilingual classrooms. She is the co-chair of the ICMI study-21 entitled ‘Mathematics and language diversity’. She was elected as a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) in November 2007; an honorary member of the Golden Key International Honour Society in May 2009 and an honorary life member of the Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa (AMESA) in July 2009. Prof Phakeng is also President of Convocation of Wits University, trustee of the FirstRand Foundation, a member of the South African Board for the International Council for Science (ICSU) and a member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation. She served as national president of the Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa (AMESA) from 2002 to 2006, as chairperson of the Board of the South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) from 2005 to 2006, and as secretary and member of the executive committee of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) from 2003 to 2007.