Prof. Erika Kraemer-Mbula

Prof. Erika Kraemer-Mbula (Chair of the AIS II Scientific Council) is Dr Erika Kraemer-Mbula is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and a Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow at the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation (IERI) at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). Her research interests are science and technology policy analysis, innovation systems, sustainable development, and various routes to the expansion of creative competencies in Africa, including public policy, learning, and international cooperation in science, technology and innovation (STI). 

Initially trained as an economist, Kraemer-Mbula holds a Master’s in Science and Technology Policy by SPRU (with distinction) from the Science and Policy Research Unit (University of Sussex, UK), and a Doctorate in Development Studies from the University of Oxford. In her academic and professional career, Kraemer-Mbula has adopted a cross-disciplinary approach to explore alternative development paths for African countries. Between 2001 and 2011, she has served as a researcher at the Centre for Research in Innovation Management (CENTRIM) in Brighton, UK, and at the Science and Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex, UK. In addition to Open AIR, she is an active member of Africalics, a Board Member of the Globelics Scientific Committee, and has co-authored books on Industrial Competitiveness in Africa (ITDG) and Innovation and the Development Agenda (OECD/IDRC).