Dr Ndivhuwo Luruli
Chief Strategist: Office of the Chief
Executive Officer National Research
Foundation (NRF)
Dr Ndivhuwo Luruli drives the alignment and execution of strategic priorities across the organisation, working closely with the Chief Executive Officer and the Corporate Executive Team. She also provides strategic advice and executive support to the Chief Executive Officer and senior leadership.
Prior to joining the NRF, Dr Luruli served as Executive Director: Research Development and Support at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), where she led the university’s research and innovation agenda. She oversaw four departments responsible for mobilising research funding from national and international sources, managing research outputs and productivity, and facilitating technology transfer, including the commercialisation of innovations and entrepreneurial support. Under her leadership, UJ strengthened its position as a leading research-intensive institution in South Africa and internationally, becoming the country’s largest producer of accredited research outputs – a position it sustained beyond her tenure. She also played a central role in shaping and advancing the university’s research strategy and was instrumental in securing South Africa’s first University Innovation Pod (UniPod), awarded to UJ by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through its timbuktoo initiative.
Dr Luruli holds a PhD in Science and Technology Studies from the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST) and an MSc (cum laude) in Conservation Ecology, both from Stellenbosch University. With nearly two decades of experience in research management and administration, she has held senior positions at the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). She has also worked as a research administration consultant for a private university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Her work is driven by a commitment to advancing research, innovation, entrepreneurship and societal impact. She is particularly passionate about fostering inclusive and diverse research environments, mentoring emerging scholars, and building capacity among the next generation of researchers and she actively promotes collaboration across academia.