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• Prof. Sheryl Hendriks: University of Greenwich, United Kingdom - PNG (1.19 MB)

  AEERD is pleased to welcome back its former HoD, Professor Sheryl Hendriks as an Extraordinary Professor. She left the department in 2023 to take up the position of Professor and Director of the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich in the United Kingdom. She is highly regarded as a top international food security and food systems expert. Her departure leaves a vacuum in the Department and is a loss to Faculty and University, particularly in the field of food security and food systems. Professor Hendriks was recruited as an Associate Professor through a preferential recruitment process in July 2010 to support the establishment of what became the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Well-being (IFNuW). She was appointed as the Director of IFNuW from October 2011 to December 2018. She was promoted to Professor in 2015 and took up the role of Head of Department for AEERD in November 2018. Professor Hendriks obtained a B2 rating in 2022. Firstly, Prof Hendriks will be instrumental in supporting the department to maintain a footprint in the food security and food systems domain locally and particularly on the African continent where she has a very high standing and an extensive network of collaborators. The strategic importance of capacity in food security and food systems is key for the Department, Faculty and University given this theme’s prominence on the South African and African agenda and its preeminence in the Sustainable Development Goals. Secondly, Prof Hendriks’ global network will be of high value to the Department and the Faculty in pursuing an even wider and stronger regional and continental footprint through greater collaborations and a more extensive network on the continent, in particular. A wider and deeper reach and impact on the continent is very much aligned to the strategic intent of the Department, Faculty and the University. Thirdly, with Prof Hendriks’ vast experience in academia, positioning her as an Extraordinary Professor in the Department will also support the professional and academic development of post-graduate students and staff, which in turn will support the retention and further development of academic capacity in the Department. Given the extent of the Department’s post-graduate program and the strategic positioning of the Department and the Faculty, in particular, Prof Hendriks’ academic mentorship, experience and capacity will undergird the Department’s capacity to reach its strategic goals and to contribute to the University’s goals. Profile link: https://www.nri.org/people/hendriks-l-sheryl