Dr Aldo Stroebel is Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships at the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, and Visiting Fellow at the Institute for African Development at Cornell University, USA. He serves as South Africa’s National Contact Point for the European Research Council, and on the board of the Water Research Commission (WRC) of South Africa. He is a former Board member of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC). In addition, he serves as the co-chairperson of the Executive Support Group of the Global Research Council. He is a Foreign Fellow of the Ugandan National Academy of Science, and a founding member of the SA Young Academy of Science (SAYAS). Education credentials: University of Pretoria (BSc- and Hons-degrees); University of Ghent, Belgium (Masters in International Agricultural Development); University of the Free State and Cornell University, USA (PhD); Postdoctoral research at Wageningen University, The Netherlands. He has published widely in systems science and sustainability, and has been acknowledged as a leader in the internationalisation of Higher Education, and research and innovation management. He has established extensive international professional networks which span the global higher education, policy and funding spheres.