Nthabiseng Mohlakoana

Dr Nthabiseng (Nthabi) Mohlakoana works as a researcher at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands. She is also a research fellow at Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST) focusing on the social aspects of energy transitions. She has over 20 years of experience in research focusing on energy policy implementation, energy access and use as well as gender mainstreaming in the energy sector. Her work at TU Delft includes research on European energy communities and how community driven interventions can facilitate affordable and clean energy for all residents. She is also working on the Waterwarmth project to assess how the governance of aquathermal energy systems' implementation in the European North Sea region (NSR). Her in-depth work experience in South Africa includes her time at the University of Cape Town, Human Sciences Research Council and CST. Her research has focused on the socio-economic aspects of energy transitions and the impact on communities and their livelihoods as well as topics on energy access, energy poverty, jobs, skills development and gender. Nthabi has published articles and book chapters on household energy access and use, productive uses of energy in the informal food sector and addressing gender issues in energy governance and access.

Most of her research in recent years emphasises the importance of gender equality in planning and implementation of energy and other basic services interventions dictated by policies, in line with the SDGs and other important intervention strategies. Her work aims at finding solutions that address and lead to the eradication of energy poverty and addressing inequalities in the global south. She also has experience in various methods of applying a gender lens and using different gender approaches in the energy sector concerning households and livelihoods as well as gender mainstreaming of energy projects and programmes.

She completed her undergraduate studies and a master's in energy from the University of Cape Town. In 2014 she completed her PhD study at the University of Twente’s Department of Governance and Technology for Sustainability (Netherlands) where she analysed the implementation process of the free basic alternative energy (FBAE) policy by local municipalities in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Fields of research:
* Governance and policy implementation
* Household energy policy
* Gender and energy research
* Productive uses of energy
* Energy communities
* Governance frameworks of energy innovations