Johan Ferreira Author & Editor

Professor Andriëtte Bekker is an emeritus professor and former Head of the Department of Statistics at the University of Pretoria (2012–2022). A recipient of the S2A3 Medal for scientific achievement, she is internationally recognised for her contributions to multivariate and matrix variate distribution theory, with expertise spanning directional statistics, model-based clustering, and graphical network modelling. She has authored over 130 peer-reviewed publications and edited volumes advancing statistical methodology and computation. Professor Bekker is an elected member of the International Statistical Institute and leads the Statistical Theory and Applied Statistics focus area within the DSTI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. Her recent accolades include the University of Pretoria’s Exceptional Academic Achiever Award (2023), a fellowship from the South African Statistical Association (2024), and an NRF rating as a researcher of international standing.

Dr. Priyanka Nagar is a Senior Lecturer in Statistics and Actuarial Science at Stellenbosch University. She holds a PhD in Mathematical Statistics from the University of Pretoria. Her research focuses on statistical learning theory, directional statistics, and copula-based modelling, with applications in environmental, biomechanical, and energy domains. Dr Nagar’s work advances statistical methodologies for complex environmental systems. Drawing on experience in both academia and industry, she brings a rigorous and applied perspective to statistical analysis. She is actively engaged in mentoring, supervision, and strengthening statistical capacity within environmental statistics research across South Africa.

Johan Ferreira is a Professor in the School of Statistics and Actuarial Science at the University of the Witwatersrand, and previously served as the Assistant Focus Area Coordinator for the Statistical Theory and Applied Statistics focus area of the Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical Science, based at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He is an ASLP 4.1/4.2 fellow of Future Africa and was identified as one of the Top 200 South Africans under the age of 35 by the Mail & Guardian newspaper in the Education category. Johan regularly published in peer-reviewed, accredited journals, and his research interests include the probabilistic modelling of entropy, meaningful mixture modelling, directional statistics, and topics in educational statistics.

Professor Barend Erasmus is an ecologist with broad experience in climate change adaptation. His publication record reflects his interests in interdisciplinary work. His doctoral degree at the University of Pretoria on assessing impacts of climate change impacts on biodiversity in South Africa, remains relevant in international literature. Over time, his research interests expanded from climate change impacts, to broader sustainability issues across a wide range of sectors. His current academic work is on exploring the risks and opportunities of rapidly developing climate science for business and industry. He is passionate about postgraduate training, and students are deeply embedded in collaborative and interdisciplinary research programmes.

Professor Abel Ramoelo is an Executive Director of the Earth Observation Programme at the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria. He has a PhD in Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation from the University of Twente, the Netherlands. He leads a dynamic team focused on developing earth intelligence to address the societal challenges we face today. He previously worked at the CSIR, advancing from junior to principal researcher, at SANParks as a regional ecologist/ remote sensing specialist, and at the University of Pretoria as an associate professor and Director of the Centre for Environmental Studies in the Department of Geography, Geoinformatics, and Meteorology.