North-West University (NWU) alumna, Prof Irma Eloff, was recently appointed as the new chairperson of the board of the South African Academy for Science and Arts.

Prof Irma is only the second woman in the 108-year existence of the Academy to be appointed as chairperson. Her predecessor was Prof Elize Botha, who was the chairperson from 1990 and 1992.

Prof Irma obtained her BA degree with English and psychology as majors from the North-West University in 1989. She obtained her postgraduate qualifications from the University of Pretoria (UP) and Stellenbosch University.

She was the first female dean of the Faculty of Education at UP and recently completed her second term as dean. She is currently a professor in educational psychology at UP.

Prof Irma was a guest professor at Yale University in the USA between 2001 and 2002 and a guest lecturer at, among others, the universities of New York, Innsbruck, Wisconsin and Fordham. In 2014 she received the International Aids Society’s prize for excellence in AIDS research with regard to children.

Several academic textbooks and many research articles also flowed from her pen. She is also currently a registered psychologist.

Prof Irma Eloff