Jonathan Jansen is Distinguished Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University and until recently, President of the Academy of Science of South Africa. He started his career as a Biology teacher following which he achieved postgraduate degrees at Cornell (MS) and Stanford (PhD) in the USA. He holds five honorary doctorates and was recently induced into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He leads research teams in higher education studies; trains future professors; and works with struggling schools.

His recent talks cover topics such as how to close the gap between university education and the
world of work; teacher presence; network leadership; why pre-school education matters; how to
solve the problem of reading literacy; effective schools; why universities collapse—problems of
integrity and capacity; what South Africa can learn from countries with dysfunctional economies but effective school systems etc.

His wife is Grace, her sister Faith, and their next child, Mercy. He supports the Blue Bulls whose
players are responsible for South Africa winning the World Cup.