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Melanie Walker

Professor Melanie Walker is a graduate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of Cape Town, where she completed her PhD after teaching at disadvantaged secondary schools for a number of years. She joined the University of the Free State in February 2012 as Senior Research Professor of Higher Education and Human Development. In 2013 she was appointed as NRF Chair in Higher Education and Human Development. She is an Al-rated NRF reseascher.

Before joining the UFS, she was Professor of Higher Education at the University of Nottingham in the UK where she was Director of the PhD in Higher Education, Director of Postgraduate Students and a Director of Research in the Faculty of Social Sciences. She retains her link to Nottingham as an Honorary Professor. Professor Walker is also Vice President of the Human Development and Capability Association (2014-2017) and a fellow of ASSAF. She has delivered numerous international keynotes and seminars, written more than 140 book chapters and refereed journal articles, and authored or edited 13 books, including two highly regarded volumes on doctoral education. Her two most recent books focus on higher education and human development, as well as educating ‘public-good professionals.

Her extensive editorial experience has included editing roles on Teaching in Higher Education, Educational Action Research, and the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities. In addition, she currently holds editorial board memberships on the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Journal of Professional Development, and Power and Education, undertakes refereeing for a number of international journals and book publishers, and referees proposals for various research councils.

How to turn professionals into people who serve the public good

Mar 23, 2016 15:54 pm UTC| Insights & Views

Development, argues Indian economist Amartya Sen, is the expansion of peoples freedoms to lead lives that matter to them. Doing so might include being treated with dignity or ensuring that their children get a decent...

Economy

Japan CPI Rises in June, but Core Inflation Stays Below BOJ’s 2% Target

Japans consumer inflation accelerated in June, but underlying price pressures remained below the Bank of Japans (BOJ) 2% target, reinforcing expectations that policymakers will keep interest rates unchanged at their...

Japan Manufacturing Growth Holds Strong in July Despite Middle East Uncertainty

Japans manufacturing sector continued to expand in July, supported by the strongest factory output growth in more than a decade, although businesses remained cautious as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East clouded the...

Gold Price Holds Above $4,130 as Fed Rate Outlook and Middle East Tensions Support Safe-Haven Demand

Gold prices remained resilient on Thursday, staying above the $4,130-an-ounce mark as investors continued buying on recent dips despite rising oil prices and growing expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve could keep...

Asian Stocks Rally on AI Spending Optimism as Middle East Tensions Push Oil to Six-Week High

Asian stock markets advanced on Thursday as strong artificial intelligence (AI) investment plans from major U.S. technology companies boosted confidence in the regions semiconductor sector, while escalating conflict in the...

Australia Jobs Surge in June Strengthens Case for More RBA Rate Hikes

Australias labor market posted a stronger-than-expected performance in June, reinforcing expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) could raise interest rates again to curb persistent inflation. Data released by...

Politics

Arizona Primaries Set High-Stakes Governor and House Battles Ahead of Midterm Elections

Arizonas Republican primary delivered major victories for candidates backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, setting up closely watched contests for governor and a key U.S. House seat in the November 3 midterm elections....

Amish Shah Wins Arizona Democratic Primary in Key U.S. House Race

Moderate Democrat Amish Shah has won the Democratic primary for Arizonas 1st Congressional District, according to media projections, setting up a closely watched general election contest that could play a significant role...

Trump Administration Opens Civil Rights Probes Into Five U.S. Medical Schools Over Admissions

The U.S. Department of Education has launched civil rights investigations into five medical schools over alleged racial discrimination in admissions, expanding President Donald Trumps campaign against diversity, equity,...

ASEAN Forum Puts Middle East Conflict, South China Sea Tensions in Spotlight

Top diplomats from Asia, Europe, and North America gathered in Manila on Thursday for the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), with the escalating Middle East conflict and South China Sea tensions expected to dominate discussions....

Rubio Rejects AI ‘Kill Switch’ Claims as U.S. Defends American Technology Abroad

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed American diplomats to push back against claims that the United States has a kill switch capable of shutting off access to U.S. technology products, according to a State...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Intel, AMD Seek Long-Term China Server CPU Deals as AI Demand Drives Supply Crunch

Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are negotiating long-term purchase agreements with Chinese server customers as demand for data center processors continues to outpace supply, according to people familiar with the...

Alphabet Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates as AI Spending, Google Cloud Growth Fuel Outlook

Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) delivered stronger-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, driven by rapid growth in Google Cloud and continued investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Despite beating Wall Street...

Elon Musk Fuels SpaceX-Tesla Merger Speculation After Earnings Call

The possibility of a merger between Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and SpaceX gained fresh attention after Teslas second-quarter earnings call, with Deepwater Managements Gene Munster increasing the odds of a deal taking place in...

IBM Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates as Software Growth Offsets Infrastructure Weakness

International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) reported second-quarter 2026 earnings that missed Wall Street expectations, although its shares gained about 3% after the company had already warned investors about weaker...

OpenAI Australia Data Center Switches Cooling Strategy After Recycled Water Plan Fails

OpenAIs planned mega data center in Australia will rely on a more energy-intensive cooling system after developers abandoned plans to use recycled water, according to a Reuters report published Thursday. The change comes...