Professor Nancy Stiegler is the newly appointed SARChI Chair in Big Data and the Social Sciences at UWC. Image: Supplied

As Women’s Month draws to a close, the University of the Western Cape (UWC) is celebrating three women researchers whose careers demonstrate the many ways women are shaping the future of science.

Science is often presented through discoveries, data and complex theories, but behind the research are numerous women who have spent years asking questions, solving problems and opening doors for those who will follow.

Prof Nancy Stiegler, Prof Louise Leenen and Prof Lindiwe Khotseng work in very different fields: demography, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and chemistry and sustainable energy. Yet their journeys are united by curiosity, perseverance and a desire to use science to solve problems that matter.

Their stories are also a reminder that there is no single way to become a scientist.

For Prof Stiegler, it started with a question that continues to shape her work: how can data improve people’s lives?

Her career in demography has taken her into census operations, international data collection and research on population and development, reproductive health and women’s rights. Over the years, she has seen how information about populations can influence decisions that affect people’s everyday lives.

“Population statistics are not just numbers; they shape decisions on health, education, migration and social protection,” she said.

As the newly appointed SARChI Chair in Big Data and the Social Sciences at UWC, Prof Stiegler is exploring how traditional demographic data can be combined with new forms of Big Data to better understand complex social challenges.

Her research brings together census and survey data with administrative, geospatial, mobile and social media data to examine issues including poverty, inequality, migration, health, education and employment.

At the heart of this work is a concern about people who are not always visible in conventional datasets. “For me, this is ultimately about using data to understand who is being left behind, why, and what can be done about it.”

For Prof Stiegler, the impact of science is not measured solely through data, publications or research findings. It is also measured through the people she has helped develop along the way.

Having supervised Master’s and PhD students throughout her career, she sees nurturing the next generation of researchers as an important part of her role as an academic.

Her own journey makes that message particularly powerful. She came from a family without a background in research or academia, yet built a career spanning demography, statistics, international research and census work.

“I hope young women and girls see in my career that there is no reason to limit their ambitions because they are women.”

Her advice is to remain curious, develop strong methodological skills, find mentors, and importantly, not wait until they feel completely ready. “Your voice belongs in science, your ideas have value, and you do not have to choose between being ambitious and being yourself.”

Professor Louise Leneen, an Associate Professor in UWC’s Computer Science Department and the SARChI Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. Image: Shelley Christians /UWC

For Prof Leenen, the journey into science began with a childhood interest in mathematics and science. “I liked Math and Science at school, but I did not really know what to expect when I decided to study Computer Science at university,” she said.

At university, she discovered a particular fascination with theoretical Computer Science and the challenge of designing algorithms to solve complex problems.

More than 30 years later, that fascination remains.

Prof Leenen is an Associate Professor in UWC’s Computer Science Department, the SARChI Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity, and leads the national Centre for AI Research’s Group in AI and Cybersecurity.

Her research focuses on artificial intelligence, with particular interests in Symbolic AI, Constraint Programming, Explainable AI and the application of AI for cybersecurity.

For her, the purpose of this work extends beyond developing sophisticated technology. She wants her research to help people navigate an increasingly complex technological world. “On a higher level, I hope that my research will help people to make better decisions in increasingly complex environments.”

That includes making AI more trustworthy and understandable, while improving the accessibility and efficiency of cybersecurity.

Her message to young women considering STEM is simple: there are opportunities to be found, even when the journey is not always easy. “STEM offers great opportunities for young women. It is not always an easy path, but it always offers new and exciting avenues to pursue.”

Professor Lindiwe Khotseng is a Full Professor of Analytical Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and holds the National Research Foundation. Image: Supplied

For Prof Khotseng, science has provided a way to understand problems at a fundamental level and then turn that knowledge into practical solutions.

Her research spans materials chemistry, nanotechnology, electrochemistry and renewable energy. As the holder of the SARChI Tier 2 Chair in Agricultural Waste Valorisation for Sustainable Energy Transition, she is investigating how materials often regarded as worthless agricultural waste can be turned into valuable resources.

“I am particularly passionate about finding value in materials that are often regarded as waste,” she said.

Prof Khotseng’s research explores how agricultural biomass residues can be transformed into high-value nanomaterials for applications including lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells, hydrogen technologies, solar energy conversion and sustainable fuels.

The work is particularly relevant in South Africa, where agriculture produces significant quantities of biomass residues.

For Prof Khotseng, the opportunity is about more than reducing waste. It is about connecting environmental sustainability with energy security and economic opportunity.

“I want my research to contribute to a future where waste becomes a resource, scientific innovation creates opportunities, and our transition to clean energy also contributes to inclusive development.”

Like her colleagues, people remain at the centre of Prof Khotseng’s work.

Training students and watching them develop confidence as scientists, she said, has been one of the most rewarding aspects of her career.

For all three researchers, science is therefore about more than the research itself. It is also about the questions they ask, the problems they seek to solve and the people they inspire along the way.

Their careers offer young women different ways of imagining themselves in science – whether working with data to understand inequality, developing more trustworthy artificial intelligence, strengthening cybersecurity or transforming agricultural waste into valuable materials for a more sustainable energy future.