Workshop and Conference on Computational Mathematics and Modelling

Professor Sandile Motsa is the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Eswatini, with over 20 years of distinguished research and teaching experience. After working at the University of Swaziland for about 10 years, Professor Motsa joined the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in November 2011 as Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics. He served five years at UKZN before returning to the University of Swaziland in December 2016, where he led the Mathematics Department as the Head of the Department. In January 2019, he was elected Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, a role he continues to hold.

Professor Motsa also maintains visiting professorship positions at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Wits University. His research projects primarily focus on developing innovative numerical methods to solve intricate mathematical models originating in various scientific and engineering disciplines. He is particularly passionate about employing technology to tackle mathematical problems modeled as differential equations. With an extensive publishing record, Professor Motsa has authored over 200 research articles in esteemed academic journals and contributed to more than 10 book chapters in applied mathematics, physics, and engineering.

Beyond his academic commitments, Professor Motsa played an instrumental role in the Southern Africa Mathematical Sciences Association (SAMSA), serving as Vice-President from 2014 to 2018, and President from 2019 to 2022. He is also a founding member of the Kingdom of Eswatini Academy of Science (KEAS).

Professor Motsa's dedication to expanding mathematical sciences is not confined to the kingdom of Eswatini. He has conducted over 20 workshops on Computational Methods in countries including Angola, Kenya, India, Mozambique, and South Africa. With the advent of generative AI, offering infinite possibilities in teaching and research, Professor Motsa's current research is venturing into the thrilling domains of artificial intelligence tools and large language models. These explorations aim at enhancing mathematical modeling and numerical analysis research, reflecting his continuous zeal to integrate technology into education and research.

Nosipho Zwane is a Lead Scientist in the Research and Development Department under the Climate Change and Variability unit. She joined the South African Weather Service in 2014, Her research interests include climate modelling, climate extremes, and the impact of climate change on climate sensitive sectors (such as Energy, Agriculture, Water and Health). She holds a BSc with double major in Environmental & Geographical Science and Ocean & Atmosphere Science, BSc Honors Specializing in Ocean & Atmosphere Science both from the University of Cape Town. MSc and PhD in Meteorology from the University of Pretoria, National Certificate in Generic Management from Edutel and Wits.

She has led and contributed to multiple revenue-generating projects, produced peer-reviewed research, and actively positioned the South African Weather Service in strategic engagements with stakeholders both nationally and internationally.

Siyanbonga Nozwane is a Climate Change and Variability Scientist at the South African Weather Service (SAWS) and an MSc candidate in Interdisciplinary Global Change Studies at the Wits Global Change Institute. His research focuses on regional climate change projections for South Africa using CMIP6 multi-model ensemble analysis, with a particular interest in temperature and precipitation extremes under future warming scenarios.

He specializes in climate modelling, the development of Python-based analytical pipelines for large-scale climate model outputs, and the translation of complex climate science into actionable information for policy and planning across sectors. Alongside his technical work, Siyabonga is committed to bridging the gap between climate science and the policy and planning decisions that shape how South Africa adapts to a changing climate.

Dr Shina Oloniiju is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at Rhodes University. He holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His research focuses on numerical methods, scientific computing, and, most recently, the development of machine learning architectures for solving differential equations.

Alongside his teaching and research, Dr Oloniiju is actively involved in the mathematical research community, publishing in reputable journals and supervising postgraduate students.

Thando Ndarana is a Professor of Meteorology at the University of Pretoria. As a dynamic meteorology specialist, his research focuses on the dynamics of synoptic scale weather systems that produce extreme weather events. He applies synoptic–dynamic meteorological diagnostics-such as potential vorticity, wave activity fluxes, and atmospheric energetics and investigates dynamical processes including Rossby wave propagation and breaking, to improve understanding of rain bearing weather systems over the southern African domain and surrounding oceans. He is also interested in the influence of stratospheric dynamics on regional weather and climate.

For his research, he has been awarded a C1 rating by the National Research Foundation. He was a member of the editorial team that revised the monograph on the meteorology and climate of the southern hemisphere, whose first and second editions were published in 1972 and 1998, respectively. He serves on the WWRP working group on predictability and ensemble forecasting (PDEF), the WCRP CLIVAR Climate Dynamics Panel (CPD), and the IAMAS International Commission on Dynamic Meteorology (ICDM).

Prof Montaz Ali obtained his Ph.D. degree in stochastic global optimization from Loughborough University, U.K.   After two postdoctoral fellowship positions, respectively, in Plymouth University, UK,  and in Abo Akademi in Finland, he joined Computational and Applied Mathematics, University of the Witwatersrand. He was  promoted to full professor in April 2010. He was appointed as a Transnet sponsored research professor in Wits Transnet Centre of Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment from 1st April-2013 to 31st March-2018.

At present he is a professor in optimization in the School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Wits. Prof Ali published research papers in various field of optimization, including global optimization, combinatorial and discrete optimization, operations research, renewable energy, mixed integer nonlinear programming, and optimal control theory. He is current pursuing his research in system identification, very large scale optimization in graph and compress sensing.

Dr. Otegbeye is a senior lecturer in the school of computer science and applied mathematics, at the University of the Witwatersrand. He holds a PhD in applied mathematics with a focus on spectral-based numerical methods for solving boundary layer fluid flow problems.

His research interest is focused on the development and modification of computational and numerical methods for solving complex nonlinear systems of differential equations (ordinary, partial, fractional) that model several real-world processes. He is also interested in the modelling and analysis of epidemiological models, and the application of optimization in real-world problems that involve scarce resources. His work has been published in several reputable journals and international conference proceedings.