Rasigan Maharajh

Chief Director: Tshwane University of Technology – Institute for Economic Research on Innovation; Node Head: DST/NRF SciSTIP CoE; and Professor Extraordinary: Stellenbosch University – Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology., Tshwane University of Technology

Rasigan Maharajh is concurrently Nodal Head of the Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation’ Centre of Excellence in Scientometrics and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy; the founding Chief Director of the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation at Tshwane University of Technology; Professor Extraordinary at the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology of Stellenbosch University; an Associate Research Fellow of the Tellus Institute in Boston; and the Chairperson of the Southern Africa Node of the Millennium Project. Rasigan was previously: Visiting Professor at Rede de Pesquisa em Sistemas e Arranjos Produtivos e Inovativos Locais in the Instituto de Economia of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Visiting Research Scholar at the George Perkins Marsh Institute of Clark University, USA; Head of Policy at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research; and National Coordinator of the Science and Technology Policy Transition Project for South Africa’s first democratic government. Before these deployments, Rasigan was: Senior Researcher at the Education Policy Unit of the University of Natal; National Coordinator and Researcher at Operation Upgrade of Southern Africa; Research Assistant at the Macro-Education Policy Unit of the University of Durban-Westville; Research Assistant at the Labour and Community Project of the South African Council for Higher Education; and a Casual Labourer at Pick and Pay Supermarkets. During this period, Rasigan also held elected and leadership positions within the: United Democratic Front, Congress of South African Trade Unions and the African National Congress. Rasigan was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree by the Forskningspolitiska Institutet (Research Policy Institute), School of Economics and Management, Lund University, Sweden; and he is also an alumnus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal of South Africa and the Harvard Business School of the United States. Rasigan is a Ministerial Representative on the Council of Rhodes University and an elected Senator of Tshwane University of Technology. In the last decade, Rasigan has contributed to more than 65 publications, and has presented his research in 37 countries variously as Visiting Researcher, Scholar and Professor.

Experience

2014–present

Node Head, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence SciSTIP
2015–present

Professor Extraordinary, Stellenbosch University: Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology
2004–present

Chief Director , Tshwane University of Technology: Institute for Economic Research on Innovation
1997–2004

Head of Policy, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
1994–1997

Coordinator, National Science and Technology Policy Transition Project
1993–1995

Senior Researcher, University of Natal: Education Policy Unit
1993–1994

Researcher, Operation Upgrade of Southern Africa
1992–1993

Associate Researcher, University of Durban-Westville: Macro-Education Policy Unit
1990–1991

Journalist, Africa Information Afrique
1988–1990

Assistant Researcher , South African Council for Higher Education: Labour and Community Resource Project

Education

2011

Lund University: Forskningspolitiska Institutet , Doctor of Philosophy
1999

Harvard University: Harvard Business School, Senior Executive Program for Southern Africa
1994

University of Natal: Economic History, Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
1993

Harvard University: John F. Kennedy School of Government, Education Policy Analysis and Planning
1992

University of Natal: Economic History and Sociology, Bachelor of Arts